X23: No Way Back: The Series
by ChickRockGuitar
Summary: X-23: No Way Back is my On-going fiction Series. When Laura Kinney, also known as X-23, is forced to run from her creators yet again, she'll discover that no matter where she runs, she'll never be able to escape her past.
1. Ties That Bind: The Hunted: Ch1

**. Series Title:** X-23: No Way Back  
**. Story & Chapter Title: **Ties That Bind – Chapter One: The Hunted**  
. Author:** Alex Gregg (aka: ChickRockGuitar)  
**. Date Written:** August 2008 - (words written: 2146)  
**. Fiction Group:** X-Men Comics  
**. Story Rating:** T (some violence and blood)  
**. Summary Of Story:** Part One of "Ties That Bind". Alone and on the run, hunted by A.I.M soldiers, Mutant Laura Kinney, also known as X-23, is once again forced in into a a battle of life and death.  
**. Auther's Notes:** This is the first chapter to the first story arc of a fanfictional serial of stories written by chickrockguitar. These stories are set in a slightly alternate Marvel universe - set with a new spin on the character of X-23.  
**. Disclaimer:** Marvel/X-Men characters, established concepts and previous storylines full credit goes to Marvel, Stan Lee, Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, and Co. Original storylines credit goes to me.  
**. More Info: **The Official Website: www (dot) x23 (dot) flyingmutt (dot) com

**_Please take a look at the website to understand the stories better_**

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**SERIES STORY NOTES: PLEASE READ!!**

The "X-23: No Way Back" series is, I guess, as far as fanfiction goes, is in a slight "Alternate Universe" ("AU") from the X-Men comics. These are the reasons as to why:

: Firstly, all of Laura's "history" is still reverent in my "AU" -- From Laura's birth up until she came to stay at the Institute will remain the same - just as read in the comics.

: This is where things change. -- In my "AU", in short, Laura has been at the school for roughly a year, spending time with the X-Men etc. M-Day, Stryker's attack, Nimrod all happened. But the "Mercury Falling" arc and everything after that did not happen, including Kimura's appearance and Laura's move to X-Force. - Sorry to those who this might mean nothing to (it won't effect the stories themselves), it's more for those who are familiar with the comics.

: Laura's "personality" may slightly differ in my "AU" -- Those who are familiar with the comics know how the writers portray Laura. I have opted for a slight change which you may come to notice in the stories, and I hope it will become clear as to why I have done this. In my "AU", as I said, Laura has been in the X-Men's world for roughly a year, in the comics it has only been a few months, so her recent lifestyle in my "AU" differs - therefore as a person, she will differ.

I hope that these points make some kind of sense, and in reading this will allow you identify with the storylines and to understand the time frame of the "X-23: No Way Back" series.

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**Chapter One: The Hunted**

It was almost dusk, the deep orange-red glow from the dying sun could be seen from in-between buildings of different sizes. Sixteen year old Laura Kinney, also known as X-23, emerged running as fast as she could, from a backstreet alley. Dressed all in black, the teenage mutant glanced quickly over her shoulder as she rounded corner of yet another small, deserted New York side street.

Using her enhanced hearing, she counted the running pairs of heavy-like boots in pursuit of her. Fifteen, no, sixteen, and by the sounds of it, they were roughly fifty yards behind - and catching up fast. They wouldn't give up either. She'd dealt with A.I.M before. When they set their sights on a target, their soldiers will stop at nothing until it's been taken down. Their methods were a painful reminder of how she used to "work", back when she was sent on "missions" by her creators.

Entering yet another dark alley, her black boots splashed though a shallow puddle as she ran down its long narrow path. The teen came to a stop at a six foot high metal chain-link fence. Catching her breath she turned to face the mouth of the alley, and listened. The soldiers were now closing in, their footsteps getting closer with every second. Turning back to the fence, Laura balled her right fist. Suddenly two, six inch metal claws, one situated between her first and second knuckle and the other between her third and fourth, burst from her skin. A small amount of blood surrounded the base of each claw, where the skin had broke as they popped out. Laura then ran her claws down the fence, easily cutting though the chain-links as if they were nothing but very fine paper.

Seconds later, a bright white-hot light flooded the scene. Soldiers armed with guns burst into the alley. The soldier at the front of the group shone his torch upon the chain-link fence, but the only thing that the light revealed was the fence itself, with a person sized hole cut out of the middle. "Damnit!", said the lead solider, in frustration. Just then, another soldier pushed his way though his colleagues towards his commanding officer. "Sir! B team's on the radio. They've spotted her two blocks away, heading towards the docks". "Right. Let them know we're on our way", he answered. "And tell them, to not even_ think_ about loosing her!" he added sharply. He turned back to the group, "Okay men, lets move!". With that, the soldiers, in an orderly-like fashion, exited the alley.

The Docks were unusually quiet tonight, Laura thought. Alert and keeping to the shadows, the teen crept along in between the freighters, carefully avoiding the security spotlights that wavered back and forth overhead. All she had to do now was get inside a freighter bound for overseas, wait until it was loaded onto a boat and she'd be on her way out on the country. Once out of the country, she'd be just that little bit safer. And she could forget about everything that had happened in the last thirty six hours... or try to forget. That was the general plan, at least...

Suddenly Laura caught the scent of her pursuers. Quietly, but as quickly as she could, she moved though the dock area. Boarding a freighter would now have to wait, first she needed to loose the A.I.M soldiers. Sniffing the air, Laura suddenly noticed there now appeared to be more solders on her tail, one group coming at her from the west, and the other from the east. A rough estimate told her that there were perhaps thirty-five or more men altogether. There'd be no way to get past A.I.M now. There was only one way this could play out - she'd have to fight her way past them.

Her claw's popped on both hands, Laura stood behind a freighter, her back lent up against its side, alert and at the ready to attack. The words "draw them in", were going though her mind. Draw them in, let them get close, and then strike. Moments ticked by as Laura stood in silence, waiting for the soldiers to approach. They were now closing in fast. In fact, Laura's senses told her that she was now surrounded. Somehow, they knew her exact location. The time for a surprise attack had long gone. Laura took a slow, deep breath, then sprang out from behind the freighter, to face the array of AIM soldiers waiting for her on its opposite side.

With a determined expression, Laura stood in a fighting stance position, staring down her pursuers. Almost forty or more soldiers stood about ten foot away, their guns trained on her. The commanding officer shuffled a couple of steps forward, showing his leadership, "Don't _move_ X-23!", he raised his gun slightly, so the little red dot, was now trained on Laura's heart. "Or, I swear to _god_, I'll shoot!", he carried on. His voice was a little shaky, however, the guy was doing his best to sound confident. But his actions didn't matter, he didn't fool Laura for a second, she could smell his fear. "Now, we can do this the easy way, and no one gets hurt - or the hard way. Either way, X-23, you're coming with us", he finished. _I don't think so_, thought Laura. "The hard way is fine by me" she answered. And with those words she charged at the surprised solider.

However, the solider was more ready for her surprise movements than Laura had anticipated. As she got roughly six feet closer, the sound of gun shot rang in her ears and though the docks. As white hot pain ripped though her left shoulder, Laura gasped, and came to a sudden stop. Bullets hurt like hell, but not usually like this. Laura's right hand flew up to her left shoulder, covering the wound, as the pain rocketed though her upper body. She looked up at the soldier, moments later, her pain turned to anger. In the seconds that followed, with accelerated speed, she charged. Now inches from his body, her right hand claws penetrated the middle of his upper chest.

Laura ripped her now bloody claws from the soldiers torso, and the man fell to the ground, dead. The teen looked down at his body for a few seconds, then turned to look at his colleagues, who's eyes were on their dead leader, they all seemed to wear shocked expressions, even though they knew who and what they where facing. Seconds later rapid gunfire could be heard throughout the docks, bullet after bullet tore through Laura's flesh. There was now nothing she could do except fight back. It was a kill or be killed. Ignoring the pain that was now searing through her body, claws raised, the teenage mutant leapt violently into the fray...

Nightfall was now upon New York. The darkened skies were heavy and black, but the city itself was lit up brightly by lights from offices, apartment blocks, street lamps and headlights. Placing a blooded hand on the side of an alley wall for support, Laura slowly walked into the light of a dying streetlamp, located on the inside wall of the alley. Beaten, bloody, and exhausted, she leant up against the wall itself for a moments rest. She was covered with blood, a mixture of her own and the soldiers', and her clothes where riddled with bullet holes. Droplets of crimson liquid dripped from her wounds. Leaning her head back against the wall, Laura gritted her teeth, wincing in pain.

Lifting her shirt slightly, she looked down at her belly and placed her right hand fingertips over a small bullet wound, about a inch to the right of her bellybutton, within seconds blood stained her fingertips. Laura winced in pain again. Braising herself, she suddenly dug the tips of her thumb and forefinger into the wound itself, and after a moment or two, with a sharp gasp of pain and a grunt, she pulled the bullet out. Panting slightly, she held the small blood stained, golden object in her fingers tips and looked at it. Her mind travelled back to half an hour ago:

Screams of dying men rang in her ears, as Laura delivered the fatal blow to each and everyone of them in her path. Her claws, now deeply blood strained, cut down another A.I.M solder, just as another bullet hit her in the back. Laura winced. Pulling her claws from his chest, she spun round to face the solder holding the gun. She lunged at him, knocking the semiautomatic from his hands, he stumbled back. Then, looking into his terrified eyes, as Laura jabbed her right hand claws into his chest, and her left hand claws into his gut. The look of intense pain stayed on his face as Laura ripped away her claws and watched him fall to the ground. After a brief moment, she turned away, and once again, began to cut though the men coming at her with their guns.

Laura threw the bullet to the ground, and again leant her head back on the wall. _One bullet out_, she thought, _tons more to go_. At that moment, she could hardly find the strength to move, let alone fish out any more bullets. She knew she was getting weaker, she needed to find some place to rest, and fast, before anyone else tracked her down. She let out a sharp wince. The bullets lodged in her body where now causing her a great deal of pain, which seemed to be intensifying with every moment that passed. Laura remembered the last time she came face to face with A.I.M. She'd been sent on a search and destroy mission to one of their bases. Riddled with bullets, she nearly died that day. Back then, she remembered the bullets hurting like hell, but this time, they seemed to hurt a hell of a lot more. And this time, the pain was different.

Suddenly she heard foot steps approaching, just one pair. Whoever it was, it was unlikely they where tracking her, but all the same she had to keep moving. Even if they weren't after her, she didn't want to deal with anyone right now. Using both hands to push herself off the wall, she regained her balance as best she could and continued to move painfully forward, struggling with each small step. She knew she wouldn't be able to get very far, but if she managed to hide in the shadows within the alley, there was a good chance that the person approaching would walk past the alley, leaving her undetected. A Good chance. She hoped...

Crouched behind a couple of trash cans, Laura kept both eyes on the mouth of the alley, waiting. Laura felt stupid. She didn't hide. Ever. But she knew, she'd never be able to take anyone in a fight right now. The foot steps were getting closer and closer. She now began to feel very dizzy. She sniffed the air, nothing. She couldn't catch a scent. _What's wrong with me?_, she wondered. At that moment, a dark figure stopped at the mouth of the alley, then walked a few steps into it.

It was now obvious to Laura that she'd been wrong, this person _was_ tracking her. She squinted though the darkness. Normally, even in the dark, she would have been able to make out the person in full detail, but her vision seemed to be fading. She sniffed the air again, still no scent. But something about this person rang very familiar. No... it couldn't be, could it? She wasn't _that_ lucky, was she? The figure stepped into the light of the dying street lamp. The light lit up his face straight away. With difficulty, she stood up and staggered a few steps towards him. This wasn't real, was it? For a moment Laura was sure she was hallucinating. There, standing just a couple of feet away, dressed in blue jeans and a slightly scuffed black leather jacket, was Logan.

Laura felt enormous relief wash over her. "Logan...", she breathed, as she moved towards him, stumbling with every step. "Hey, kid", he answered. As she moved into the light of the street lamp, Logan saw just how beaten up she was. "What the hell?" he gasped. "Geez, Kid,", he muttered, quickly moving towards her, "What happened to yer?". Suddenly Laura's vision began to blur and fade more rapidly, and the alley and Logan seemed to spin. She raised her hands to the sides of her head, "I...uh--", she shut her eyes tightly for a moment, trying to block out the intense pain that seemed to now cover every inch of her small frame. "A.I.M... Attacked...", she just about managed to answer, before swaying, then falling unconsciously into Logan's arms.

**_Currently working on "Chapter Two: Bad Memories" – please stay tuned_ **

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	2. Ties That Bind: Bad, Bad Memories: Ch2

**Series Title:** X-23: No Way Back  
**. Story & Chapter Title: **Ties That Bind – Chapter Two: Bad, Bad Memories**  
. Author:** Alex Gregg (aka: ChickRockGuitar)  
**. Date Written:** August 2008 - (words written: 3305)  
**. Fiction Group:** X-Men Comics  
**. Story Rating:** T (some violence and blood)  
**. Summary Of Story****:** Part Two of "Ties That Bind". When tragedy strikes at the the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, Laura is forced to leave behind the one place that she's called "home".  
**. Auther's Notes:** This is the second chapter to the first story arc of a fanfictional serial of stories written by chickrockguitar. These stories are set in a slightly alternate Marvel universe - set with a new spin on the character of X-23.  
**. Disclaimer:** Marvel/X-Men characters, established concepts and previous storylines full credit goes to Marvel, Stan Lee, Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, and Co. Original storylines credit goes to me.  
**. More Info: **The Official Website: www (dot) x23 (dot) flyingmutt (dot) com

**_Please take a look at the website to understand the stories better_**

**Chapter Two: Bad, Bad Memories  
****  
**_Thirty Six hours ago - 8am:  
_Stan Marlow, a dirty blond, short-haired man, with stubble around his chin - almost resembling a beard, and looking to be in his late twenties, pulled into the tall, black, but not unfriendly looking Iron gates of the Xavier Institute. He drove the van a few yards along the stony driveway and brought it to a stop just feet from the large double oak front doors, then cut the engine. Clipping his personnel badge to the chest pocket of his dark blue overalls, he checked himself in the minor, then taking a depth breath, he opened the door and stepped out onto the rough stony driveway.

Unlocking, and sliding back the vans side door, Stan reached in and a few moments later emerged again with a heavy looking steel type toolbox. Just then the large oak doors to the school opened and a tall, brown haired man, roughly in his early to mid thirties stepped out onto the stone porch. The first thing Stan noticed about this man, was that he wore Ruby tinted shades. This was one of the Mutants he had been briefed on. They called him Cyclops, although Stan wasn't sure why.

Stan slid the door to his van closed and locked it, then shoved his keys into his pocket. With a friendly smile towards 'Cyclops', who was now walking down the stone steps towards him, Stan thought about the task as to why he was here. The two men met, and 'Cyclops' offered his hand, "Welcome to the Xavier Institute, I'm Scott Summers, co-headmaster of the school". Stan shook his hand and replied, "Stan Marlow, Winchester Water Repair". "Right then, Mr. Marlow, if you'd like to follow me, I'll show you to our, er... problem" said Scott in a friendly tone. He lead the way across the drive way, up the stone steps and into the school, with Stan following closely behind.

Sixteen year old Laura Kinney sat on the end of her bed, slipped her right boot onto her foot, and began to tie the laces. Moments later, her roommate, seventeen year old Sooraya Qadir, emerged from their bathroom. "Good morning, Laura. I shall be going to breakfast soon, would you like to join me?". "No, thank you, Sooraya". "Oh, alright. Perhaps tomorrow, then?" asked the Muslim, as she lifted her niqab from her shoulders and applied it to her face. "Maybe..." answered Laura, standing up. "Are you going out?" questioned Sooraya. "Yes" replied Laura. "By yourself? Again?" asked Sooraya, in a concerned like tone. "Yes" came Laura's usual non-committal short reply.

The Afghanistan teen paused for a few moments, then gently said, "Laura, please do not take offence, as I do not mean to pry, but, why do you, as they say here in America "hang" by yourself so often? I thought Mister Logan wanted to you make friends with the students?". "Logan isn't here. He left" said Laura, not bothering to hide her bitterness. Sooraya _acknowledged _Laura's tone. She studied the teens green eyes: _there may be bitterness there_, she thought, but at the same time she could clearly see sadness as well. "He will be back soon, I am sure" reassured Sooraya. Laura didn't answer for a moment, but then muttered, "I'm beginning to really not care". That was a lie. In truth, Laura really missed him. She was angry that he'd left the school without telling her, but it just didn't feel like home without him. She was still adjusting to her new life, and she need him.

"Laura... I do not believe that is true..." said Sooraya. Laura sighed, she tucked a stray wisp of her shoulder length black hair behind her left ear. As she thought of Logan, and his abrupt leaving, anger rose inside again. She shook her head slightly and looked into the Muslim's dark brown eyes, "Believe what you like, Sooraya..." she responded angrily. "I'll see you later" she continued in a more friendly tone. She crossed the room, opened the door, walked out, closing it behind her.

"You see," begin Scott, as he lead Stan into the school grounds, "we usually fix these little problems ourselves, but as we needed our water supply yearly review - I thought that Winchester Water could take care of both matters". "Yes, sir, certainly" replied Stan. Scott came to a stop at the side of the main building, where the main water supply pipes were housed. "As you can see, the leakage in quite severe" said Scott. The pipes had been broken in several places, and bound with thick towelling. "Gosh, what on earth did this?" questioned Stan. "Er... We're not quite sure, I'm afraid" lied Scott. He wasn't about to tell the man that one of his Mutant students was responsible. "I trust you have everything that you need?" continued Scott, changing the subject. "Yes, I think so" replied Stan. "Fantastic. I'll leave you to it then". Stan gave a nod, then Scott turned and walked back the way they had came. Once Scott as out of sight, Stan opened his toolbox and got to work.

_Thirty Four hours ago - 10am:  
_Laura had been perched high up on a tall Oak Tree, situated near the school's lake, for almost two hours now. She liked it here. It was quiet, peaceful, and far away from everyone else. About fifty yards away she watched a group of teens playing on the basketball court. Josh Foley, Julian Keller, Victor Borkowski and Santo Vaccarro, the other four, three girls and another guy, she didn't know. She knew Logan wanted her to interact more with the other students, to make friends, and she had done. But since Logan's leaving, she just didn't feel very comfortable around them anymore, and if asked, she honestly couldn't give an answer as to why. She often felt fear coming from most students when she walked into the room, this had increased ever since Logan had left the school. She hated that she was feared by them, but she understood why they felt that way. She knew that some of the students knew about her past and she knew that they knew if something did go wrong, out of everyone in the school, it was perhaps only Logan who might be be able to subdue her.

There were a couple of students, however, who seemed to generally want to be friends with her. Cessily Kincaid and her roommate Sooraya. A part of her wanted to be friends with them too, and again, like with the other students, she had tried, but since Logan had gone, she just wanted to be left alone. "People need people, Laura" Logan had told her, not long after she'd arrived at the school almost ten months ago. _Well, Logan's gone now_, thought Laura, _so why should I act on anything he had to say?_ "It's easier on your own", Laura muttered to herself. When you're on your own, it's just you. Nobody to make you promises, and nobody to take off on you.

Suddenly, she heard someone calling her name. "Laura! Hey, Laura!". She looked down towards the ground, standing below was Julian Keller, basketball in hand. Moments later, using his mutant ability, telekinesis, he levitated up to her level. "You wanna come join us for a game? We're one player short". "No thank you, Julian" replied Laura. "Aw, come on!" he tried to convince. "Being up here by yourself", he shook his head, "not healthy". He gave her a kind smile. "No thank you, Julian" she repeated. He sighed. "Okay, okay. Don't say I didn't offer...". And with that, he was gone.

Julian Keller. There was something about him, Laura thought. Lately, he had been... nice to her. He was different from most of them. Although, she could smell his fear when he approached her, for some reason, he seemed to try and hide it. And Laura wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. As she watched him tossing the ball to the other teens, emotions began to run through her. The kind of emotions that she wasn't used to. Emotions she was never permitted to have as a child. Emotions she didn't understand. She felt as if she could watch him for hours, she felt as if the fifty yards between them wasn't close enough. Moments later, she smelt the familiar scent of blood. Her blood. Looking down at her left arm, she noticed that using one of right claws, she'd cut two "X" like shapes into her skin. Retracting her claw, she watched the two inch wounds bleed, knowing they would heal within minutes, leaving no trace of a scar, thanks to her enhanced healing abilities.

_Thirty Two hours ago - 12pm:  
_It had taken Stan just over two hours to fix and replace the broken pipes. He now had one task left to complete. The real task as to why he was here. He wasn't Stan Marlow working for Winchester Water Repair, that was his everyday _guise. He in fact was Agent Stan Davidson, and he worked for a company only known as The Facility. Carefully, he removed a test tube, filled with a green clear-like liquid, from a hidden compartment in his toolbox. This liquid was known as "Trigger Scent"._

Stan had never met the mutant he had been sent to Target. He had been briefed on her and on the Trigger Scent. He'd been told she was known as X-23. He had been given her basic history and was told she was extremely dangerous and not to engage. He had also been briefed on the Trigger scent itself. He'd been told it was a chemical compound_, created by Dr. Zander _Rice, former Genetics Head of the _Facility. Designed to control X-23, the effects of scent would _send her into an involuntary berserker rage, when smelling its presence, violently killing those it was planted upon.

Carefully undoing the stop on the top of the test tube, Stan poured the liquid into one of the main water pips, effectively contaminating the whole water supply of the Institute. The liquid itself would not do any harm to those who drank from or showered in it. However, it was hoped when X-23 smelt the scent upon those in the school, they'd soon become her victims. Stan had asked why this needed to be done. The answer he received was simple. They wanted to draw X-23 out. They wanted to take those she cared about from her. They wanted her away from the school and alone, so they could put the next step of the re-capture plan into action, and then strike.

Stan had just reached his van as the oak doors to the front the school opened. Scott once again came down the stone steps. For a few moments Stan was tense. Had something gone wrong? Had be been found out? "Ah, Mister Marlow" said Scott, has he approached him. "Everything went smoothly, I trust"? carried on the Headmaster. "Yes, Sir. Everything's fixed and seems to be in working order" smiled Stan, as he opened his van door. "Wonderful. If you could have your company send us the invoice, that would be great" replied Scott. "Will do. Mister Summers" said Stan. Scott gave a nod and headed back up the stone steps and into the school. Stan breathed a silent sigh of relief, then got into his van, closed the door and moments later started the engine.

Once he had driven a good few miles from the School, Stan brought the van to a stop at the side of the road, then reached for his cell phone. He quickly punched in the required digits and held the cell to his ear. "Ah, Agent Davidson," Came a voice from from the other end of the line, "I trust you are calling to confirm everything went according to plan?". "Yes, Sir. The Trigger Scent is in now place" Stan replied. "Excellent!" exclaimed his boss, "Good work. Now we wait. We will discuss this further when you return". "Yes Sir" said Stan. Then the line went dead. With his task now fully complete, Stan replaced his cell phone on it's cradle and continued on down the highway.

_Thirty hours ago - 2pm:  
_For the last half an hour, Laura could small scents of different types of food coming from the main building, more _specifically_ the Cafeteria. She'd decided to remain sitting high up in the oak tree and wait for the for most of the students to finish their lunch, before entering the Cafeteria herself.

Laura pushed open the main Cafeteria doors, there were perhaps twenty or so students and members of the X-Men (who doubled up to teach the kids in the school), eating their lunch. _Good. The room isn't crowded_, thought Laura. She made her way further into the large room, then suddenly came to a dead stop. She stiffened and sniffed the air. Then, everything went black.

_Seven minutes later - 2:07pm:  
_Suddenly the world around her came rushing back. Laura found herself standing in the middle of the Cafeteria. She surveyed the room. It was totally trashed. Amongst the overturned tables and chairs, at least two dozen people, lay covered in blood. Most of them dead, the rest lay dying. Laura looked down at her hands, her claws were popped and it was then she realised, she was covered in blood. Then it clicked. She had done this. It had been Trigger Scent which set her off.

"No. No..." muttered Laura, shaking her head, not wanting to believe what had just happened. She looked around the room, recognising some of the dead. Nick Gleason, David Alleyne, Ruth Aldine and Shan Coy-Manh. The others she did not know. Suddenly the main Cafeteria doors burst open. Laura swung round to see standing before her were the X-Men: Scott Summers, Emma Frost, Hank McCoy, Kitty Pryde, Piotr Rasputin, Warren Worthington and Sam Guthrie. Behind them stood many of the other Students: Noriko Ashida, Josh Foley, Julian Keller, Victor Borkowski and Santo Vaccarro, but to name a few. Laura watched them as they all looked on in horror at scene before them. Then, Laura did the only thing she could think of. Something she rarely ever did. She ran.

It had been ten minutes since Laura had crashed through one of the Cafeteria windows, sprinted across the School grounds and into the woods beyond. For the first time in her life, Laura didn't know what to do next. Should she go back, try to explain? Her tactics training took over. No, they'd attack her. After all, she'd just murdered over two dozen people the X-Men had sworn to protect.

She thought of Logan... She wondered if he'd been here, would he have been able to stop her? Flashes shot though her mind. She saw her claws striking those she'd killed. She saw their terrified faces, and the sounds of their screams rang in her ears. She covered her head with her hands "Stop! Just stop!" she pleaded to herself. She tried to compose herself. What would she do now? There was nothing for it, she decided, _I have to run_. - But first, she needed her personal items, which included the locket that her cousin Megan had given her almost two years ago: it contained a photo her mother and a photo of Megan herself. There was no way she was leaving without that.

Silently Laura crept across the grounds and headed for her dorm window. There was no way she would risk trying to get back inside the main building. They'd almost certainly be looking for her. Sense told her that this was stupid. Going back for the locket was a fools plan. It was an enormous risk to take, she could easily be caught. But it was her locket. Megan's locket. It was worth it.

Her dorm was on the second floor of the south wing - third window from the left. Laura reached the bottom of the building and looked up at her target. Good, the window was slightly ajar, she would not have to brake it, which could attract unwanted attention. Laura popped her claws, both on her hands and feet, then digging them into the brickwork, she began to climb.

Laura had just made it though the window and into the dorm, when a transmission came over the schools radio network. "All students and staff report to the auditorium, immediately! We have a situation!" came Scott Summer's somewhat desperate voice. For a moment the sound of Scott's voice had brought her to a stop, but she soon snapped out of it. She grabbed her black backpack from under her bed and quickly began to open draws and shove everything into it. Moments later, she was zipping up the bag when the bathroom door opened. Sooraya stepped out. Laura gasped. Too focused on what she was doing, she'd hadn't noticed her roommate had been in the bathroom.

Fully dressed, but with her hair soaking wet, Sooraya eyed Laura with her now loaded bag. "Laura, are you going somewhere?" she asked. Laura was totally confused. Sooraya was acting normal, as if nothing had happened. The Muslim studied Laura's expression, "Has... has something happened?" continued Sooraya. Could it be that she didn't know, thought Laura. "I... the Cafeteria... I--I didn't mean to--" began Laura, before coming to a sudden stop. She paused, and sniffed the air. Popping her claws, her glance fell back on the Afghanistan teen. Then, again, the world went black.

Once again, the world came rushing back to her, and the first thing Laura smelt was blood. Her claws were popped and her hands were covered in the red liquid - a mixture of her own and someone else's. Laura's gaze soon fell on someone laying at her feet - Sooraya. She unlike the other students, the Afghanistan teen wasn't covered with blood. She had just one wound in the middle of her chest, over her heart. Realising what had happened, horror struck, Laura retracted her claws, and dropped to her knees. "No... No! Not you..." gasped Laura, her eyes met Sooraya's. The girl coughed, and as she did so, a trickle of blood escaped her lips and ran down the side of her mouth. "Sooraya, I--I didn't mean-- I--it was Trigger Scent" Laura desperately tried to explain. She pressed her hand over the Muslim's chest wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but in reality she knew this would do no good, her claws had penetrated the girl's heart - which was now slowing.

A single tear ran down Laura cheek, "Sooraya, why didn't you stop me?! Why didn't you use your power?!" she cried. "Was not expecting... Too-too fast..." croaked Afghanistan teen. She coughed again. Then just moments later, Laura felt the last beat of the dying girl's heart. A deafening silence filled the room. No beating of Sooraya's heart or the sound of her breath. "Sooraya...?" asked Laura, almost in an echo-like tone. Silence... Sooraya did not answer her. She was dead.

Laura swallowed. "I'm sorry..." she whispered. She forced herself to stand up, never taking her eyes off Sooraya. She looked down at her dead friend for a few more moments. Tears welled in her eyes, then ran down her cheeks. She thought about why this had happened. The answer, she knew, was simple. The Facility had found her once again. They'd done this, they'd forced her murder yet again. _Someday I'll face them. Someday I'll make them pay for this, Sooraya_, promised Laura. Suddenly she heard footsteps. Not stopping to find out who was about to enter the room, Laura grabbed her backpack, and at a fast run, she dived head first out of the window.

**_Currently working on "Chapter Three: Safe-House" – please stay tuned_**


	3. Ties That Bind: SafeHouse: Ch3

Series Title: X-23: No Way Back

**Series Title:** X-23: No Way Back  
**. Story & Chapter Title: **Ties That Bind – Chapter Three: Safe-House  
**. Author:** Alex Gregg (aka: ChickRockGuitar)  
**. Date Written:** September 2008 - (words written: 2935)  
**. Fiction Group:** X-Men Comics  
**. Story Rating:** T (some mild language)  
**. Summary Of Story****:** Part Three of "Ties That Bind". Logan returns to the school to find himself face to face with Laura's new enemies. And Laura herself begins to realise just how sick she really is.  
**. Auther's Notes:** This is the thrid chapter to the first story arc of a fanfictional serial of stories written by chickrockguitar. These stories are set in a slightly alternate Marvel universe - set with a new spin on the character of X-23.  
**. Disclaimer:** Marvel/X-Men characters, established concepts and previous storylines full credit goes to Marvel, Stan Lee, Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, and Co. Original storylines credit goes to me.  
**. More Info: **The Official Website: www (dot) x23 (dot) flyingmutt (dot) com

_**Please take a look at the website to understand the stories better**_

**Chapter Three: Safe-House  
****  
**Logan took a drag from his cigar whilst watching Laura's sleeping frame. Her breathing, he noticed, had slightly improved in the last ten minutes, but she still remained in an unconscious state. He was starting to get a little worried. Because her creators had yet to lace her bones with Adamantium, before she escaped the Facility, it meant she healed faster then he did, who's bones had been laced with the unbreakable metal. Logan knew he'd have healed long before now, which meant Laura should have done too. With a worried sigh, he leant back in his chair, knowing all he could do right now was wait. Although, once she did wake, he had no idea where he'd go from there.

Two and a half hours ago, Laura, beaten and bloody, had collapsed into his arms in some filthily alley. That wasn't Logan's idea of a family reunion. Of course, after what had happened at the school, Logan knew when he did eventually catch up with her, it wasn't going to be a picnic, but he sure as hell had not expected to find his kid 'sister' in the state that the teen was in right now.

He knew he had to get her someplace safe, someplace no one would think to look for her, or track her down. So, sticking to the shadows, he had carried her deep into what was known as the "bad" or "rough" parts of the city, to an old rundown apartment block - Mostly occupied by people who couldn't afford any better kind of living. It was a place he used when he had things to do in the city.

Logan's small apartment was on the highest level of the building, the eighth floor. It consisted of a extra small bathroom, two extremely small bedrooms and a lounge with a small kitchen. The kitchen simply being a sink, a cooker and a refrigerator surrounded by a few sideboards and cabinets at one end of the lounge. The whole place was in a dire need of a house doctor, but it had running water and electricity, wasn't too cold, and surprisingly didn't smell. So it wasn't the Ritz, but the building was still standing and was out of the way of the busy streets, that suited Logan.

Logan had laid the unconscious Laura onto the old Sofa, hoping she'd wake soon - and not freak out. Then he'd sat himself down in the adjacent old chair, waiting - and wondering what the hell had happened to her. His mind travelled back to the confrontation he'd had earlier that day:

_Eight hours ago - 2:30pm:_  
"For god sake, Summers!" growled Logan, "She's just a _kid!_". Scott Summers eyed Logan for a moment before he spoke, "Logan, yesterday she murdered _thirteen_ of us. That's _thirteen_ families Emma and I have to contact to inform them that their child is dead!". Logan turned away from the his team-mate. He knew what a grim task that was, and he had in fact, in the past, been in similar situations himself. Moments ticked on by, neither Logan or Scott spoke.

Logan broke the silence. He spoke in a self-controlled soft, but determined tone, "I'm not excusing what she did, Scott. But it's not as if the kid had a choice. It was Trigger Scent". "I'm well aware of what happened, Logan. What set her off," shot back Scott angrily, "but weather she had control of what she did or not, is irrelevant. It happened. And I have to protect the rest of the students", he paused for a few seconds before continuing, "I'm sorry, but there's no place for her here anymore". Logan felt a surge of anger go though him. He couldn't believe Scott was just giving up on one of their own. "What happened to second chances, huh, Summers?! What happened to the X-Men protecting their own?!" he argued. "No one here at the school will be going after her, Logan. She won't be the X-Men's enemy, if that's what you're worried about. But the X-Men won't be friend to her either. I'm sure you can understand why". Logan eyed Scott, anger slowly rising inside.

"Yer've changed, yer know that?" growled Logan. "I've done what I've had to do, Logan. What others wouldn't. To keep Mutants safe" answered Scott. "Yeah. Yer've finally grown a pair" spat Logan. "Fantastic", he added sarcastically. "Logan, I really think--" started Scott, but he stopped when the sound of helicopters could be heard overhead. Logan moved to the nearest window and looked out. A S.H.I.E.L.D helicopter had just landed a few feet beyond the basketball court, with another landing a little way behind it. "Fury..." growled Logan. "I'm assuming you know why they're here?" asked Scott, in an almost sarcastic tone. Logan turned back to him, he didn't speak, just eyed him angrily. Yes, he knew why S.H.I.E.L.D had landed on their front porch. He had expected Colonel Nick Fury, head of the Army-like organization and his "goons" to show up sooner or later.

At a quick pace, Logan headed across the grounds towards Fury, who was briefing his soldiers - eight of them, all packing large guns. Nick Fury was a tall, well-built man in his late forties, with short black hair - slightly greying at the sides. He wore his trade mark black left eye patch, used to cover an injury he had sustained in a long ago battle. And was dressed smartly in his Amy uniform.

With his enhanced hearing abilities, Logan could clearly hear the briefing being held fifty foot in front of him. "Careful, boys," began Fury, who spoke in a deep, gruff-like tone, "Looks like we're the first on the scene. This is going to be extremely delicate, especially as Logan's involved". It was then that Fury noticed his men were all looking at something behind him, he turned to see what that something was: Logan, heading towards them. "Ah. Speaking of..." he muttered to himself.

Seconds later Logan reached them. "Logan" greeted Fury in a friendly tone. The Colonel saw Logan's pissed off expression and braced himself. "What the _hell_ are _you_ doin' here, Fury?!" barked Logan. "You already know the answer to that, my friend" replied Fury, "Where is she?" he asked. Logan didn't answer, just glared at him. Fury sighed, "Logan, you know what she's done, and consequentially, you know what that means. I have no choice but to bring her in". "No, yer don't", said Logan, crossing his arms, "Walk away". Fury shook his head, "I can't do that. She's a danger to the American people - Both Human and _Mutant_". "No she ain't" argued Logan in Laura's defence. "It weren't her doin'. She was targeted by the bastards who created her", he insisted.

Fury was now beginning to get a little frustrated, "I'm not discussing it here. S.H.I.L.D may be the first on the scene right now. But others will arrive soon. Now, I'll ask again, _Where is she?_". Again, Logan didn't answer, he just looked at the Colonel, this time with a hint of a sarcastic smirk. "I don't want any trouble here, Logan", Fury insisted. "Funny. 'Cause yer always seem to bring it", replied Logan. Fury gave him an annoyed look. "Fine" he told him, "If that's the way you want to play this", he turned to his soldiers, "Spread out. I want the subject found. You get a shot, take it. But I want her alive, understand?" he told them. They nodded and set off in search of their target, "And boys..." he called after them, "before you go trigger happy? Please remember, this is a _school_".

Fury tuned back to Logan. "Funny," he began, in an almost sneering tone, "it only being _you_ out here, in her defence. No Miss Frost? Or Mister Summers? Or _any_ of the X-Men for that matter". "They're busy" muttered Logan uncomfortably. Fury gave a short laugh, "At what," he looked at his watch, "Two thirty in the afternoon?". At this point, Logan could feel himself holding back a great deal. "No, I can guess the scenario here. They're also concerned, right?" carried on Fury. "Yer start goin' in that school guns blazin', they'll have somethin' to be _concerned_ about", bit back Logan.

Fury sighed. This was getting him nowhere. He tried a different approach, "In about ten minutes, it won't just be S.H.I.E.L.D on your front lawn, Logan. It'll be A.I.M, the F.B.I, maybe even those idiots at Hydra. And _anyone_ else who thinks they cam handle her. You know that". he paused, "Isn't it better I take her in? At last she'll be treated fairly". "_Fairly_? Is that what yer call it?" snapped Logan. "She's not a criminal, Fury. She's a _Kid!_". "She's a _weapon_, Logan. The sooner you come to terms with that, the easier it'll be on you - and on _her_. Your protecting her will only go so far, last so long" stated Fury. Not that he wanted to admit to it, but Logan knew there was some truth to that.

There was silence between the two men for a few moments. Fury watched Logan, he seemed to be lost in thought. "Logan," said Fury, this time in a soft friendly tone, "If you know where she is...". By the sound of the Colonel's voice, Logan realised he was trying to read him. He turn back, pulling a hard expression, "Give it up, Fury", he growled, "Yer'll never find her". Fury's expression changed to that of an angry man. He had finally had enough of this. Logan could sense his anger, and inside he was laughing like hell. "Oh, she'll be found, Logan. Maybe not today, but I assure you, she _will_ be found". And with that he walked away towards the school, leaving Logan standing alone.

Logan let out a worried sigh. Ten hours ago he was in Japan, shaking down a contact regarding an old friend. Scott had called to tell him what had happened, and he'd came straight home. _What a mess..._ thought Logan. He wondered if he'd been here, would he'd have been able to stop Laura. Would he have been able to help her? He hated himself for not being here when he was needed. Now, all he could do was find her before anyone else did. "I'm sorry I weren't there for yer, kid..." he muttered sadly to himself, before walking back across the grass, towards the school's building.

_Now - 10:30pm:  
_Logan stubbed out the remaining half of his cigar on the arm of his chair. The fabric hissed a little from being burnt. He then shoved the cigar into his jacket pocket. He looked over at Laura's unconscious form. He wondered if he was doing the right thing in bringing her here. He was, as far as the law was concerned, aiding and abetting a wanted felon. Well, he thought, _not like I ain't done that before_. Besides, in his mind, sure, she'd done things, bad things - she'd killed people, just like he had, but she wasn't a criminal. She was a kid. A kid who needed help.

Just then, Laura began to stir. "Finally..." Logan muttered to himself. He lent forwards towards the sofa, resting his elbows on his knees. "Hey, kid" he said, quietly, "How yer feelin'?". For a few moments she didn't react at all, then she suddenly bottled up right, and began to quickly survey the room. Logan immediately recognized what she was doing, looking for escape routes. "Take it easy, kid. It's okay, yer safe here" he assured her. She turned to face him, and after a moment asked, "where are we?". "Look, Laura--" began Logan, but was interrupted, "_Were are we?!_" Laura repeated, this time in a more forceful tone. "Still in New York, alright? Just... Kid, just take it easy".

"You brought me here?" Laura asked Logan. "Yeah. Listen--" he began, but she interrupted again, "Were you followed?". This threw Logan off for a second, "What? No. I weren't followed" he told her. "Are you sure?!" she asked urgently. "I'm sure". he confirmed, in a definite tone. "Been doin' this a while, yer know" he added, attempting a light hearted moment. She missed the joke. Laura looked at him for a few moments. Logan tried to work out what she was thinking, with zero luck.

Then, without warning, Laura stood up, steadying herself as she did so, she was extremely uneasy on feet. Logan stood up also, and reached out to help her stand. "Easy, easy..." he muttered. Laura shut her eyes tight for a few moments, trying to adjust her focus, which was still very blurry. Her head was spinning, and she felt sick. The pain from A.I.M's bullet's hadn't lessened any, in fact it seemed to be getting worse. She noticed Logan watching her and turned her head away from him.

The pain she was in hadn't escaped Logan. He could also detect a scent coming from her which, as hard as he tried, he couldn't quite figure out what it was. Laura began to sway a little. "Kid, maybe yer should sit down, huh?" he advised. "No" said Laura firmly, as she pulled out of his grasp. Using all of her energy concentrating on staying up right, she very slowly made her way across the room to the door. Logan followed, "Kid, what're yer doin'?" he asked, fully knowing the answer. "Leaving" answered Laura, not looking back. "Laura, yer're in pain. You can barely stand. How far do yer think yer gonna get, huh?" he said in a caring tone. Laura stopped, but didn't turn back to face him.

Laura swallowed. She knew he was right, she wouldn't get very far like this. She _was_ in pain, she could barely stand, moving was becoming harder and harder with every step, and her senses had almost completely faded. But she also knew she had to keep moving. She had to put as much distance between her and those who where coming for her as she could. "Laura," Logan tried again, "Kid, please..." he said pleadingly. Using as much energy as she could muster, Laura spun round to face him, "Did the X-Men send you to bring me in?" she asked angrily. "Is that what this is? Do they want to kill me?". For a moment Logan was speechless. "No, kid" he said with a hint of shock in his voice, "The X-Men don't wanna kill you, and they didn't send me to...", he paused, "bring yer in, either". "Then, what do you want with me?!" Laura shouted, "Why are you here?!". Logan was taken aback by her outburst, he inched closer to her. "I'm here 'cause I care about yer". Laura swallowed. "Kid, c'mon... lemme help yer". Laura backed up, "Help me? Like the help you've given over the last few months?" she said bitterly. _Ah crap._ thought Logan. He'd been afraid of this.

"You _left_ me, Logan!" shouted Laura angrily. "You said if I came to the school, you would _help_ me! You said you would _protect_ me! That I would be safe, that they couldn't get to me. But you want away, and they _did_ get to me - and things went bad!". With a sigh Logan momentarily closed his eyes, guilt washed over him. The next words Laura spoke weren't in anger, they were in a very different tone, a tone Logan had never herd her use, they were almost distant and choked out, that of a broken girl, "I needed you... and you left...". Logan swallowed. He felt awful. Not many people could make him feel this bad, mostly because he didn't care. He wasn't humanity's biggest fan. Until now he hadn't realised how much Laura did need him - or though she needed him.

"I know. I know what I said, kid" he said in a gentle, but guilty tone, "And, I'm sorry I had to take off, but, there were things I had to take care of". He hoped she could understand that. "I thought yer'd be alright" he finished. "Well, I wasn't!" Laura shot back. She shook her head, "You didn't even say anything. You just _left_..." she said in a hollow tone. He did leave without telling her he was going, and he felt guilty about that. The truth was, he wasn't good at goodbyes, even temporary goodbyes, and he honestly thought she'd be okay with Scott and the others. He was wrong. "Laura, I'm sorry" he repeated. "Too late..." said Laura. Her tone wasn't bitter it was almost heavyhearted.

Logan didn't know what to say to that. He didn't know what to do or where to look. The broken teen turned to leave. Pushing past his guilt, Logan moved towards her, "Kid, I'm not lettin' yer leave like this!". "There is nothing more to say" she told him as she reached for the door. Logan took her by the arm, forcing her to face him. "That's not what I meant" he growled, "Yer're in no fit state to walk outta here, and yer know it". He sounded serious. "Yer need help" he finished. Laura knew he was right. She could never remember feeling like this, not even on the few missions where she had been badly wounded. She could feel her body slowing down, whatever was happening, she wasn't heeling - and that worried her. "Fine" she muttered, shaking off his grip, "I'll stay". Logan watched her painfully move back towards the sofa, wondering how the hell he was going to help her.

_**Currently working on "Chapter Four" – please stay tuned**_


	4. Ties That Bind: Defensive Reactions: Ch4

Series Title: X-23: No Way Back

**Series Title:** X-23: No Way Back  
**. Story & Chapter Title: **Ties That Bind – Chapter Four: Defensive Reactions  
**. Author:** Alex Gregg (aka: ChickRockGuitar)  
**. Date Written:** September 2008 - (words written: 2268)  
**. Fiction Group:** X-Men Comics  
**. Story Rating:** T (some mild language)  
**. Summary Of Story****:** Part Four of "Ties That Bind". Having found safety with Logan, Laura's heath continues to rapidly deteriorate. Logan swears he'll help her, but will he be able to keep his promise?  
**. Auther's Notes:** This is the fourth chapter to the first story arc of a fanfictional serial of stories written by chickrockguitar. These stories are set in a slightly alternate Marvel universe - set with a new spin on the character of X-23.  
**. Disclaimer:** Marvel/X-Men characters, established concepts and previous storylines full credit goes to Marvel, Stan Lee, Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, and Co. Original storylines credit goes to me.  
**. More Info: **The Official Website: www (dot) x23 (dot) flyingmutt (dot) com

_**Please take a look at the website to understand the stories better**_

**Chapter Four: Defensive Reactions**

It was light when Laura woke. Perhaps six or seven a.m. It took her a few moments to remember where she was, and what had happened the previous night. She uneasily, pulled herself up into a sitting position, and immediately winced from the pain. In the few hours that she'd been asleep it had worsened. On top of the pain and feeling dizzy and sick, she now felt a sharp sensation throughout her body, as if somebody was was constantly slashing at her insides. She let out a low cough, and almost cried out as the pain from the cough's echo rocketed though her entire body.

Trying to pull herself together, it was then she noticed she was covered with an old brown blanket. Logan must have draped it over her while she slept. She knew that if she still had her senses, she'd be able to smell his scent on it. Logan. She was glad he was here. She still couldn't help the flicker of anger that surged though her occasionally. She was still angry that he'd left her all those months ago, but he was here now, that was good enough - not that she was about to let him know that.

Laura moved the blanket to one side, then forced herself to stand. As she did, she felt a rush of blood to the head, and swayed a little. After a moment she regained her balance, just, and began to look around the room. Her gaze fell on a slightly open glass door, which she supposed led to some kind of baloney. Slowly Laura made her away across the room towards the glass door, careful to avoid the old wooden coffee table, positioned a few inches from the Sofa. As she passed, she caught sight of the contents that lay upon the table: bandages, a couple of blood stained cloths and a bowl of murky-red water lay amongst a dish full of at least two dozen golden bullets. It was these small objects that were responsible for the pain she was feeling. She couldn't pick up a scent right now, but she knew with no uncertainty that they had been laced with some kind of poison.

Letting go of the memories of the previous night, she slowly made her way across the room to the glass door. Looking through the glass, she could now see that it did indeed lead to a small baloney. Sliding the glass door back a little, Laura stepped out into the chilly morning air. The balcony was perhaps a meter in width and maybe just over two in length. Laura looked to the left to see Logan, bear bottle in hand, sitting on a worn padded porch-swing, which took up most of the balcony itself. He saw her and shifted over a little to give her room to sit. She look the invitation, and sat.

For a few moments Laura watched Logan drink his bear. She had once asked him why he drank so much of the stuff, he had told her, "For a little while, it makes all the pain go away". Laura just thought it smelled fowl. He caught her watching him, and she quickly turned away. Suddenly she let out an uncontrolled cough. "Yer're gettin' worse, aren't yer?" he asked. "I'm fine..." she lied, not looking at him as she spoke. "Cut the crap, kid" said Logan sharply, "I got the same abilities as you" he carried on. "One, I can smell yer're lyin'. Two, I can hear yer vitals slowin'. Three, I can _see_ yer in pain", he paused for a moment, "Yer want me to go on?" he asked. Laura shook her head. He had made his point. Logan watched her, waiting for her to speak. She sighed, "What do you want me to tell you, Logan? When you can smell, see and hear what's happening to me" she asked. "I don't want yer to lie to me, kid" he replied. Laura felt a slight ache in her stomach towards that sentence. She bowed her head, and turned away from him, looking out ahead at morning smog.

But then, she thought, _he left me_. _Why should he be able to make me feel bad? That's not right, it's nor fair_. Her thoughts were interrupted by Logan, "Yer're shakin'...", he observed. Laura hadn't even noticed, until now. She was freezing. "Here," said Logan as he took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. "Thank you..." she whispered. They both sat in silence for a few moments. Laura broke it, she'd been watching him. "It's not cold right now, is it?". She knew New York City's early morning Summer climate was nothing that their healing factor couldn't handle - usually. Logan slightly shook his head, "No", he confirmed. "Then why I am I--" she broke off, realising the answer. She was feeling so cold because she was sick. Something she'd never experienced before.

"I have a friend. He's good with the science stuff", he told her. "Gonna ask him to check out one of the bullets, see if we can find out what A.I.M shot yer to hell with" he carried on. "A friend?" asked Laura, "You mean Doctor McCoy" she stated. Logan didn't answer, instead he moved his bear bottle to his lips and drank. "Logan, after what I did... do you really expect the X-Men to help me?". "It wasn't yer're fault. Or your choice" came his sharp reply. There was a moments pause between the two of them. "That is not what I asked" answered the teen. Logan stood up, Laura waited for him to answer her question. He wasn't going to. The truth was, he didn't know if Hank would help. "I'll be back soon. Stay inside the apartment" he told her, then made for the balcony's glass door.

"Logan?". He turned back to face her, "Yeah?". She paused for a moment before speaking, "Will... will you tell them... That I'm sorry?" she asked in an almost pleading tone. At first Logan wasn't sure how to react. He could see the kid _was_ generally sorry for what had happened, even though she'd had no control over the situation, but he knew if he brought up her apology, it wouldn't make a difference in the slightest. Everyone at the school was still very much in the grieving process - and they all were very pissed off. Going in there right and asking them to help her, he knew was pushing his luck way beyond reason - even if he was part of the team, but he had no other choice. She was sick, and he was desperate. He wondered if he explained, would she understand their emotions? He wasn't sure, so he didn't. He gave a nod, but he refused to make direct eye contact.

Logan exited the Baloney, and then a few moments later, Laura heard the apartment's front door open and close. Laura pulled Logan's jacket closer to her skin, wrapping herself in it - not so much to protect herself from the New York morning chill, but more in a way of comfort. Her mind drifted back to what she had done at the school. She remembered the blood, the sounds of the other kids' screams as her claws pierced their flesh. She remembered Sooraya looking up at her with dying eyes. "No!" muttered Laura, shutting her eyes tight her shaking her head trying to block out the memories and the images. She covered her face with her hands, as if the gesture would help. Of course, it didn't. _They shouldn't help me_, she thought. _After what I did, Logan has no right to ask_.

"So, what do yer think, Hank?" asked Logan. He had arrived at the school about thirty minutes ago and soon located the fury blue Mutant in his Laboratory. It's fair to say that Doctor Hank McCoy, has one of the most obvious mutations known to the world. Although Hank walks like a man, his body is covered with thick blue fur, and he has facial feature's much like that of a panther, including cat-like snout and ears. But despite his Beast-like appearance, Hank is known as a gentle being, always having time for his friends and the students. "What I think is," Hank looked up from his telescope equipment, "This DNA looks very familiar. I've worked with almost the same strand in the past". He rolled up the sleeves of his white laboratory coat and looked directly at Logan, "Yours to be exact", he paused, then said in a matter-of-factly tone, "Something you want to tell me, Logan?".

Logan sighed. Busted. He should have known Hank would have figured it out straight away. After all, he was one of the smartest men Logan had ever met - and he'd met a lot of people. Under all that fur, Logan knew, was a brilliant scientific mind, especially in Biochemistry and genetics. "The, _friend_ who was shot with this - It's Miss Kinney, correct?". Logan didn't answer. The look on his face was enough to confirm Hank's question. "Ah. I see" said Hank, seeming not very impressed.

Logan immediately jumped into defensive mode, "Look, Hank, I know what's she done, and 'cause of that I know I got no right to ask yer to help her, but, she... Hank's she's sick, _really_ sick. Whatever A.I.M shot her to hell with, it's killing her...". "Logan--" interrupted Hank, but to no avail, "Hank, she's just a kid. A kid who's been though _hell_. A kinda hell _I_ know something about. I kinda hell _nobody_ deserves to be put though". Silence filled the room while Hank seemed to absorb that. "No matter what she's done, she's still my family. The kid's a part of me - literally. If I don't help her... who will?" finished Logan quietly, in an almost broken and desperate tone.

Hank cleared his throat, he'd heard Logan talk this way perhaps once or twice in all of the years he'd known him. "Logan, what makes you think I that _can_ help her?", "Come on, I'm takin' to the guy who cured the Legacy Virus" replied Logan. "Yes, well..." began Hank, then proceeding to clear his throat again. "Hank, please, I'm asking yer as a friend". Silence filled the room once again. After a few moments Hank spoke, "Alright" he agreed. "I should have a result by tonight. I'll call when I know something". "You mean you'll do this? You'll help her?" asked Logan, surprised. He really thought persuading Hank would have been much more difficult than this. "Yes" said Hank, "I am a scientist, Logan. I crave knowledge. But, as they say, you now: owe me one" he smiled. "Thanks, Hank. I really appreciate it" said Logan. Hank gave him a nod, then turned back to his equipment to to re-study small golden object. Logan left him to his work and exited the Laboratory.

Logan had made it though the School corridors and to the main entrance when he sensed Scott behind him, moments later he spoke, "This really isn't fair, Logan". With a sigh Logan tuned to face the taller man. "I mean, could you be more insensitive?!" he carried on. "Keep yer pants on, Summers", he pointed to the door, "I'm goin', ain't I?". "Logan, you damn well I'm not asking you to leave. You're part of the team. This is your home". "It just ain't hers, that what you're saying'?". Scott sighed. "I stand by what I said. I'm sorry". "Yeah. Right" muttered Logan, turning to leave. "You should have come to me before asking Hank to--" "How'd you know about that already?" asked Logan, "Oh wait", he realised, "Havin' a telepathic girlfriend has it's perks, I'm guessin'?". The look on Scott's face confirmed it, Emma had indeed informed him of the meeting in Hank's Lab. "Pity she weren't around doin' her mind-crap when that Facility Agent walked in here", Loagn carried on.

"And, What went down between me and Hank, is _none_ of yer business, Summers. Alright? It's between me and him!", "Anyone coming in here and asking the X-Men for help is nothing _bu_t my business!". "You know" began Logan, stepping up to Scott, "Laura's not the only one who's been forced to hurt innocent people, hurt people in this school". Scott spoke in a slight and careful tone, "I'm well aware of that, Logan". "Right. And Chuck gave me a second chance. Maybe you should learn from that" retorted Logan. "I _did_ give her a second chance! I even went against Emma for you - for her. No matter what you think of me right now, I did not come to this decision lightly. I have to protect the rest of the students. I thought you could understand that". "Oh, I can" replied Logan, "But it's the way yer goin' about it that really _pisses_ me off!" he growled.

Scott sighed. This was getting them nowhere. "Logan, I couldn't have known that they'd come here succeed in getting to her. I couldn't have seen what was com--", "Exactly! _Nobody_ coulda done, Summers! _Including_ Laura!" spat Logan. "And the worst part is, I _promised_ her she'd be safe here!". He turned back to the front door and opened it. Before walking out, without tuning back to face Scott, he spoke, "Oh, and, not that it'd mean a damn thing to anyone here, but the kid asked me to tell you she's sorry". And with that he walked out of the front door and down the steps.

_**Currently working on "Chapter Four" – please stay tuned**_


	5. Ties That Bind: Blood To Blood: Ch5

**Series Title:** X-23: No Way Back  
**. Story & Chapter Title: **Ties That Bind – Chapter Five: Blood To Blood  
**. Author:** Alex Gregg (aka: ChickRockGuitar)  
**. Date Written:** November 2008 - (words written: 2884)  
**. Fiction Group:** X-Men Comics  
**. Story Rating:** T (some mild language)  
**. Summary Of Story****:** Part Five of "Ties That Bind". With Hank on the case, Logan assures Laura everything will be okay. But When she suffers yet another blow, the situation begins to look even more dire.  
**. Auther's Notes:** This is the fith and final chapter to the first story arc of a fanfictional serial of stories written by chickrockguitar. These stories are set in a slightly alternate Marvel universe - set with a new spin on the character of X-23.  
**. Disclaimer:** Marvel/X-Men characters, established concepts and previous storylines full credit goes to Marvel, Stan Lee, Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, and Co. Original storylines credit goes to me.  
**. More Info: **The Official Website: www (dot) x23 (dot) flyingmutt (dot) com

_**Please take a look at the website to understand the stories better**_

**Chapter Three: Blood To Blood  
****  
**Laura had remained sitting on the porch-swing ever since Logan had left. To her calculations that had been approximately one hundred and three minutes ago. She let out another few coughs. This had become more regular in the last half an hour. As their echoes rocketed though her, she winced. Her breathing had become much more shallow and her pulse was slowly getting weaker.

This worried Laura, but "scared" was not something she had ever been permitted to be. As a young child, she was punished if she ever displayed that kind of emotion. "Weapons are scared of _nothing_! If you show another sign of this emotion, X-23, you shall be punished! Understand?!", she remembered his warning, as if it was only yesterday. His viscously cruel smile haunted her to this day. She had been just four years old at the time, and four year olds in extreme training situations such as she had been in, of course, did get sacred, and as warned, she had been punished for it.

Slightly shaking her head, Laura pushed the memories of her childhood to the back of her mind. She couldn't help it, she was scared. She was experiencing things she had never done before. Her healing factor had always kicked in long before now. As part of her training, she had been taught about the human anatomy, and the effects of what happened if a person was with sickness, had been shot, poisoned or otherwise injured and near death. So she wasn't bind to understanding what was happening to her. Thus, feeling scared. She had guessed, and Logan had confirmed that her healing factor was more than likely no longer working - or "had gone to hell" as he had put it. Feeling an emotion she was not permitted to have worried her somehow. She knew _he_ could not punish her now, but that didn't stop her from popping a right hand claw, and cutting into her skin.

Laura shivered. She was getting colder by the moment, and Logan's jacket no longer seemed to be giving her much warmth. She decided that she'd better move back inside the apartment. Slowly rising to her feet, Laura edged forwards and turned to enter the though the baloney glass door. Swaying uneasily, Laura steadied herself by leaning against the wall. In that moment, she realised that standing up had been the wrong move. Once again her vision began to fade and the dizziness came thundering back. Laura knew she had to get inside... if she could just make it to the sofa. She tried again - steadying herself as best she could, she showy made her way though the glass door.

Moments after entering the apartment, an extremely sharp pain began to continuously rocket though her body. Laura cried out. Whilst trying to steady herself, she shut her eyes tight, trying to block out the intense pain. Then, as sudden as it had come, it was gone. Laura stood ready for a second burst, but seconds later, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed to the floor.

Laura woke to find Logan kneeling over her, complete with a worried expression. "Kid, are yer alright?". Laura could feel her entire body shivering, "C-cold..." came her reply. Logan helped Laura to her feet and lead her over to the sofa. As she sat, he reached for the blanket then wrapped it around her. "What... happened?" she asked, in a shivering tone. Logan sat next to her, "Was gonna ask yer the same thing" he replied. Laura didn't respond. "Yer're burnin' up", Logan observed. "Fever. Common symptom of Poison" stated Laura. Logan nodded in agreement. "Yer gonna be okay, kid" he assured her, "Hank's workin' on it". That shocked Laura. She hadn't expected Logan to be able to convince Doctor McCoy to help her - and she felt she didn't deserve that help. "No! No, after what I...", she shook her head, "Why?". "Cause I asked him to" came Logan's simple reply.

As the next few hours passed, Laura had slowly gone from bad to worse. The fever had held it's grip over her and she'd drifted in and out of consciousness several times. Logan had sat with her, hoping Hank would call. He had yet to do so. Logan was beginning to feel beyond desperate now, he wasn't even sure that she'd make it though the night. He was even considering taking her to the nearest hospital. Just as he was weighing up the pros and cons of it, Laura regained consciousness.

"How yer doin', kid?" asked Logan, in a caring, but worried tone. Laura, still extremely drowsy didn't answer, she just looked at him. After a moment, she spoke, her voice was weak, "I... my hands and feet... they...", Laura lifted her hands from the blanket, and both she and Logan were shocked by what they saw: her hands, wrists and fore-arms were tinged with a red-yellow type rash with patches of purple-blue showing though. "Oh no" breathed Logan unable to keep his shock hidden. He knew exactly what this was, and his expression was grave. Laura noticed. "Logan... what's..." she began weakly, but couldn't mange anymore. Seconds later she drifted back into her previous state. Logan immediately reached for his cell and punched in the required digits. Moments later, with a glance at Laura as he spoke, sounding desperate, he said, "Hank, we got a new problem".

_I should have known!_ Thought Logan angrily. He knew her healing factor wasn't working correctly, so he should have known this would happen. He'd been though it himself. And it wasn't pleasant. _Well, at least she's out of it, that's a plus_. Logan paced up and down the room as thoughts ran though his mind. As he paced, every so often he glanced over at Laura - who was still laying on the sofa in an unconscious state. Logan sighed. He wished he could help her. Not only was she going though the painful sickness of A.I.M's poison, but since the effect of the poison had shut down her healing factor, she was now suffering from metal poisoning also, thanks to her Adamantium claws. 

As she she began to stir, Logan moved back towards her. He crouched down in front of the sofa, and waited for a few seconds before speaking. "You want somthin', kid? Water?". Laura shock her head. She swallowed before turning to him. After a few moments she she spoke - her tone was low and breathless. Logan knew she was mustering all of strength just to form the words, "I can feel my body rotting, Logan... I can feel my heart slowing, my... thing's are slowing down...". Logan didn't know what to say. He knew she was right. She swallowed again, "That's what happens when a person dies. The body just stops". Before she could say anymore, Logan jumped in, "Hey, no. Yer're not gonna die, alright? Nobody's dyin' here". Logan looked into her green eyes, "I won't let yer die". Laura coughed a few times before answering, "I don't think you have a choice...".

Logan ignored that answer. "Listen to me", he told her, in a not unkind, but serious-like tone, "Yer gotta hold on. Yer gotta _fight_ it, Laura. I know yer can do that. Hank's gonna come up with somthin', alright?". He could see the teen didn't look convinced. "He always comes through on this kinda thing" he told her. "Yer just _gotta_ hold on, kid" he carried on, almost in a pleading tone. Laura gave him a slight nod, then moments later slowly drifted back into unconsciousness. "Yer gotta hold on..." whispered Logan, desperately, as he watched her sleep, "I ain't gonna loose yer" he told her.

Another two hours passed. Logan could hear Laura's heart slowing down more and more as the time ticked by. Within those two hours Laura had drifted in and out of consciousness a few times. Logan had done his best to assure her that she was going to be okay. But he really didn't know who he was trying to convince more, Laura or himself. He hated this. He hated sickness. You couldn't kick the crap out of sickness, and kicking the crap out of things was his speciality. It was his way of fixing the problem. Three or four times he'd nearly put his claws though the wall, out of anger at the situation. But for Laura's sake, he'd restrained himself - just. He sighed. "Come on, Hank. What the hell's keepin' yer?" he muttered to himself. Just then, as if on cue, at last, his cell rang.

Not wasting time with the pleasantries, Logan jumped straight to the point, "Hank, tell me yer got a cure?" he said, as soon the phone line had connected. There was a silence on Hank's end of the line. After a few moments, Logan broke it, "Hank?" he asked. "Well, I'm a afraid, it's more of a _theory_ right now, Logan" came his reply. Logan glanced over at Laura, "Whatever it is, I'll take it".

Logan watched the dark red liquid flow through the long thin drip-feed tube, which he had set up between himself and Laura. An hour ago, Hank had explained to Logan his theory. He'd came to the conclusion that A.I.M's poison was manmade, and had been specifically targeted at Laura's genetic make up. So, in theory, anyone else coming into contact with the poison would not be effected. He'd carried on to explain, that in order for Laura to stand any chance in fighting the poison, they needed to get her healing factor working. And the best way they could achieve that was for Logan to donate his blood. Laura being his genetic clone, they'd not have to worry about blood type.

"Hold on a second", Logan had said, "Yer just told me the poison was targeted at Laura's genetics. They made her outta me. We got the same genetics". Hank sighed. He really disliked explaining science to those not in the field, he found it very tiresome and repetitive. "Logan, Laura may have your DNA, but not your exact genetic make up, otherwise she would be an exact copy". That made sense. Logan felt stupid. "Okay, so what've I gotta do?" he asked. Hank had gone on to explain that hopefully when Logan donated his blood, once it was flowing though Laura's body, his healing factor would start fighting the poison and also, with any luck, jump start Laura's own healing factor.

Hank had told Logan that his blood alone would not be enough, as there was a strong possibility that once his donated blood was mixing with Laura's own, the poison would still override his heeling factor. He'd given Logan a list of medical chemicals that when injected into Laura's blood stream, would suppress the poison for a few moments, allowing his heeling factor to take effect, thus beating the poison. He'd given Logan a few scientific instances to back this up, but Logan had not been interested. Science really wasn't his thing. As long as this worked, that's all he cared about.

So, armed with Hank's list of the chemicals and equipment he needed, he had stealthily broken into the nearest hospital's medical lab and storage rooms to "borrow" (with no intent of returning) the items he needed. He'd spent longer than he'd wanted to on locating a couple of the chemicals, but he'd found them in the end. Then as fast as he could, he'd made his way back to his apartment, back to Laura. He had not wanted to leave her alone at all, but he knew he had no other choice.

So, as Hank had instructed him, Logan injected the correct measurements of the Medical Chemicals that he'd taken from the hospital, into Laura. Then set up the equipment needed to donate his blood. After what seemed an age, Logan finally disconnected drip-feed from them both, and placed the equipment on the now cluttered coffee table. There was nothing more he could do, but wait. Keeping an eye on Laura, he moved into the chair adjacent to the sofa and lit up a cigar. Waiting.

Thirty minutes later, Laura began to stir. Logan stubbed out his cigar and moved towards her. "Hey, Kid. How yer feelin'?" he asked, gently. Laura took a moment to fully awaken herself, then spoke, "Better. I feel better... I think". She sat up, "What happened?". "Hank came through, as always" said Logan with a nod towards the cluttered table. Laura stood up. She was still uneasy on her feet, but she felt stronger than she had done since Logan had brought her to his apartment.

Suddenly a wave of sickness washed over her. She eyed the kitchen, and as quickly as she could, she made towards the sink. "Laura?" asked Logan as he followed her. She reached the sink, and threw up. "Yeah. Sorry, Kid. Hank said the Chemicals might make yer do that" said Logan in a sort of apologetic tone. Laura looked over her shoulder at him, a little shaken and not very impressed.

A couple of hours later, still feeling uneasy, but on the whole feeling a little better, Laura had managed to have a shower and change from her blood-soaked, bullet-ridden clothes. As she was just walking out of the bathroom, Logan entered the apartment though the balcony door. "Hey. Yer look better" he observed. "Yes. It worked" said Laura. "I'm getting stronger every moment. I can feel it". Logan nodded. Laura moved over to her backpack, picked it up, and swung it over her shoulder. She looked back at Logan, "Please tell Dr McCoy I am grateful to him for his help. And... I'm grateful for your help too, Logan". Logan tensed, he knew what this was, and he didn't like it.

He walked towards her, "So, that's it, huh?" he sounded a little pissed. "This is goodbye?". "Yes" answered Laura, "I have to go. I'm better now, and I have to go". There was now a few feet between them. "You mean, yer have to _run_", he said, in that same pissed off tone. Laura's expression confirmed that was indeed what she meant. Logan took another step towards her, and spoke in softly, but seriously, "Kid, yer run now, and yer'll be runnin' for the rest of yer life. Yer want that?". "I don't have a choice!" Laura told him, almost shouting. "Yer do. Laura, I'm _givin'_ you a choice. Right here, right now". He could see she was trying hard not to show her emotions.

She shook her head, "If I stay in one place, they will find me! Like they did in San Francisco, like they did at the school. What makes you think it will be different if I stay here?". "The difference is", he told her, "They gotta go though _me_ first". Laura looked away, she wasn't convinced. "Look, I messed up, alright? I said I'd protect yer, and I didn't". She looked back at him, "I'm _not_ gonna let that happen again", he promised. "It's not just The Facility that are after me. It's S.H.I.E.L.D, A.I.M. Because of what _they_-- what _he_, made me do, I'm wanted throughout the country, and the world".

After a few moments he Logan said, "Yer think I don't know that? I can handle S.H.I.E.L.D. As for the rest… we come across a problem, we handle it". He took another step towards her, "We all gotta stop runnin' at some point, kid. I did. And so do _you_". He let his words sink in. He wasn't going to force her to stay, but he'd do everything he could to persuade her to. After what seemed too long, Laura came to a decision, "I want to stop running" she told him. "So stop", he answered.

Her dark hair blew in the wind, as she stood on the rooftop's edge of Logan's eight story apartment block, looking over at the city. Bright lights shown in every direction, and late night city life sounds roared in her ears. With a deep sigh, Laura thought about what the last few days had brought. Yet again, her creators had turned her life upside down, yet again they'd caused her to murder those she had come to care about, And yet again, she'd had to start over. She wondered if it would always be this way, if she'd ever be able to stay safely in once place. She really, really wanted that.

Laura's thoughts turned to Logan. How he'd tracked her down, gone out of his way to help her, and, well, saved her life. And how he didn't blame her for what happened. That, she wasn't sure if she was thankful for or angry about. But she knew she had a lot to thank him for. She thought about what living here would mean. Yes, she'd been bitterly angry with him for leaving her at the school, when he'd promised so many things on her arrival, but that anger was now fading. Here with Logan, she felt just a little bit safer. She didn't constantly have to be on full alert, she could catch her breath, she could sleep. But would it last? It seemed too good to be true. It always was.

_**I Hope you have enjoyed the first Arc of X-23: No Way Back. I am currently laying down plans for the second arc. So please stay tuned. **_


	6. Playing Hero: An Eye For An Eye: Ch1

**Series Title:** X-23: No Way Back  
**. Story & Chapter Title: **Playing Hero – Chapter One: An Eye For An Eye  
**. Author:** Alex Gregg (aka: ChickRockGuitar)  
**. Date Written:** February 2009 - (words written: 2691)  
**. Fiction Group:** X-Men Comics  
**. Story Rating:** T (some mild language)  
**. Summary Of Story****:** Part One of "Playing Hero". Three weeks have passed since Laura agreed to stay in New York. Making a fresh start is what Logan wanted for her, but will her seemingly selfless actions land her in trouble yet again?  
**. Auther's Notes:** This is the first chapter to the second story arc of a fanfictional serial of stories written by chickrockguitar. These stories are set in a slightly alternate Marvel universe - set with a new spin on the character of X-23.  
**. Disclaimer:** Marvel/X-Men characters, established concepts and previous storylines full credit goes to Marvel, Stan Lee, Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, and Co. Original storylines credit goes to me.  
**. More Info: **The Official Website: www (dot) x23 (dot) flyingmutt (dot) com

_**Please take a look at the website to understand the stories better.**_

**Chapter One: An Eye For An Eye  
****  
**Dressed all in black, sixteen year old Laura Kinney stood in the semi darkness, letting the late nights wind blow though her hair. From her position on the roof of a six story building, she looked down, watching late nights traffic passing by. Closing her eyes, she listened to the sounds of the city: motor vehicles and their horns, the foot steps of pedestrians wondering the streets, their voices as they talked to their companions, factory machines working though the night, emergency sirens sounding in the distance, trains roaring under the streets within the subway - and then, a scream.

Laura's eyes snapped open, she instinctively whipped her head in the direction of the scream, and sniffed the air. Listening once again, she could hear four pairs of running footsteps, three male and one female. Catching their scent she could tell they were heading south-east, towards her. Another scream rang in her ears, this time it was louder. Laura sprinted across the rooftop to the opposite side of the building and looked down. Below was a dirty, darkened narrow side street. Suddenly the woman came running into view, with her three male pursuers not far behind her.

Deciding that the woman needed help, Laura sprang into action. Without a second thought, she leapt from the edge of the roof top. The wind flew though her and office floors fell behind as she headed downwards. Seconds later she hit the ground with perfect landing: at a crouch, but firmly on her feet, then sprinted down the street, in the direction of the woman and her three pursuers.

Susan Jefferson was in her mid thirties, although her blonde hair and slim yet pretty features made her look almost ten years younger. By day she was a single mother to her young son, and by night she was working dead-end jobs in order to put herself though business school. She thought of her son at home with the babysitter, would he be asleep already? She hoped so, as she was tired and wanted to get to bed herself. She wondered if she could find enough money in her apartment to pay the babysitter. It was when she rounded the first block that she noticed them: three guys seemed to be following her. Panicking a little, she quickened her pace - home was six blocks away.

Then, she heard someone call out to her, "Hey, sweetheart, where are you goin' in such a hurry?". Now panicking even more, Susan picked up her pace, so she was almost at a run. Growing up in New York City, she knew walking the streets alone at night was asking for trouble, but paying for a Cab just wasn't an option, she didn't have the money. Susan heard running footsteps behind her, and knew who they belonged to, the young woman let out a scream and ran for it.

"Please! please, don't hurt me..." begged Susan. Moments ago, the terrified woman had headed down what she thought was another side street, but in fact it had turned out to be an alleyway. A dead end. The three men had continued to follow her, and now had her trapped. Susan continued to back away from the three men, until her back brushed up against the brick wall, she gasped. Her three pursuers continued to stalk towards her, each of them wearing dark and beastly expressions.

The tallest of the three, Jack, a dark skinned, well muscled man, with an almost completely shaven hair style, stepped forwards a little, the other two, Eddie, a white, average height, well built blond, and Tyke, a white, tall, skinny dark haired, seemingly flanking him. Susan tried again, "Please, let me go...". Jack, obviously the leader of the group, shook his head, "Don't think so, honey" he grinned. His buddies remained still, as he stalked towards her again, as he moved forwards he produced knife from his jacket pocket, Susan gasped. "Please!" she begged once again, now crying, "I--I have a little boy... please... let me go!". Jack laughed, and his buddies followed in suit.

Now just inches from her, Jack spoke, "Does it look like I care, sweetheart?", he said evilly, as he moved the knife closer to her face. Terrified, Susan didn't know what to do next. Suddenly another female's voice rang though the almost silent alley, "Excuse me", she said. Susan and the three men jumped a little, and turned to face the voice. Standing in the ray of a dying streetlamp, was Laura.

"It seems that you are holding this woman against her will" said Laura, in a calm tone. "Yeah? And how do you know that?" spat Jack, "What if she wants to be here?" he continued. "She does not. She is terrified" answered Laura. "Let her go", she demanded. At those words, the three men began to laugh, finding it amusing that a young girl was giving them orders. The laughter came to a stop and Jack gave Laura a deadly stare. "Boys," he instructed, without taking his eyes off Laura, "Looks like we got ourselves some _more_ fun". He paused for a moment, before adding, "Grab her". As Eddie and Tyke stalked towards Laura, the teen stood her ground, unafraid of the situation. "You're about to have a bad night, little girl" Eddie told her. "Yeah, a _very_ bad night", added Tyke.

Eddie was the first to approach Laura, as he was about to reach out and grab her, Laura launched a hard kick to his stomach with her right foot. As the winded man hunched over, she grabbed a hold of the back of his black leather jacket and flung him into the nearest wall, he hit it with a smack and dropped to the ground. Laura turned to Tyke, she looked him straight in eye. Worried, he took a step back, but not fast enough. What seemed quicker than the eye to Tyke, Laura moved for him, her right hand fist connecting with his jaw. On impact his head flew backwards, giving Laura the opportunity to grab a hold of the front of his shirt. Seconds later, just like Eddie, she sent Tyke sailing into the opposite wall, which he hit with a hard thud and a shout of pain.

Upon hearing Tyke shout out, Jack turned his attention from a terrified Susan, to the scene before him, but in mid turning motion, he was met by Laura's fist. He staggered back a little, confused, "What the hell?" he asked, holding his nose. "I told you to let her go", said Laura calmly, "You did not", she carried on, "So we fight" she told him. "Fight a little girl? You gotta be kidding me!" he spat. "Perhaps you will fare better than your friends" answered Laura. Jack looked at Eddie and Tyke, both slumped on the ground moaning in pain. "Freakin' _idiot's!_" he growled at them.

Laura moved into a fight stance position. Jack laughed for a moment, then said,, "Okay, okay, if you wanna to do this - _then bring it!_". Jack made the first move, he lunged at Laura, who just casually side-stepped him. Jack turned back to face her, a little confused as to why he missed. With his knife raised, he charged at her again. As he came within inches of her, Laura reached out and grabbed him by his wrists, the man came to a stop. And like his friends, Laura sent him flying into the wall, hitting the back of his head against the bricks as he collided with it, just inches from Susan. He slumped to the ground in pain. Laura turned to the woman, "Run" she told her. Knowing she was lucky to be alive, Susan didn't have to be told twice. At a run, she exited the alley.

Laura turned her attention back to the three men. Eddie and Tyke had now recovered and were on their feet, ready for round two. Extremely pissed off, they were both staring the young girl down, Eddie about three meters from the left and Tyke about three meters from the right, "You've had it, you little bitch!" snarled Eddie. Seconds later, trying to out smart her, they both simultaneously charged. However, Laura was ready, and quicker than them. Popping her claws on both hands, she flung her arms up and outwards. Eddie and Tyke didn't have time to stop themselves, their eyes went wide with shock and pain as Laura's metal claws penetrated their chests. Moments later, Laura retracted her blood soaked claws, and both men fell to the ground, very much dead.

Just then, Jack's shocked voice rang though the alley, "Holy shit! What are you?!" Laura turned to face the man, his face was deadly pale. Now he was the one who was terrified. He looked from the bodies of his friends to Laura's claws. Realising, he pointed at her, "Wait... I know what you are! You're a mutant! A filthy mutant freak!". That was enough for Laura, her claws at the ready, she moved for him, ready to strike. However, she had not anticipated his quick movements - Jack thrust his knife upwards, and it connected with Laura's left hand claws, momentarily bringing them to a stop. But seconds later, her claw's cut straight though the knife's blade, thanks to their Adamantium coating. "What that...?!" breathed Jack, totally confused at seeing his strong knife cut in two.

Before Jack had time to react to anything else, Laura buried her right hand claws into his gut. Jack cried out in pain. "I've watched you. You pray on the weak. You torment and murder innocent people. For pleasure" said Laura, in a calm voice. She ripped her claws from his gut, he cried out. "Now it's your turn to die" she told him. And with those words, she plunged her left hand claws deep into his chest. As Laura reacted her claws, she watched the man painfully fall to the ground.

Jack looked up at her, he tried speak, but couldn't. Laura said nothing, her face expressionless as she watched him take his last breath. After a few moments, she spoke, "Animal..." she growled, before turning on her heal, and calmly walking out of the alley, back into the busy New York night.

_Twelve Hours Later: _  
Logan sat comfortably on the large Sofa in the Television room of the Xavier Mansion, bottle of beer in hand. As he had the room all to himself, he decided to take the rare opportunity to watch a football game. He was roughly twenty five minutes into the game when Hank walked in, "Ah, Logan, good, I've been looking for you", he said in a somewhat urgent tone. Not taking his eyes off the large Television screen, but hearing the urgency in Hanks voice, Logan answered, "Yeah? What crises we got now, Hank?". "I think you had better switch to CNBC Local" Hank answered.

With a huff of annoyance, Logan did so. A brunette woman in her mid to late forties was reporting live from the downtown New York, "-- where the bodies of these three men where found. Moments ago, New York police conformed a knife wound direct to the heart was the cause of death to each of these men. A thirty year old woman is currently helping police with their investigations into this triple homicide, however, she is not she believed to be a suspect. A news conference was held in the last hour". The screen switched to a typical conference room full of police and reporters. NYC's Chief of police, spoke to the media, "New York City Authorities are currently looking for the suspect, anyone with any information or who may have been in the area when the indecent occurred is asked to get in touch with law enforcements. Thank You". The picture then moved back to the studio, twin newscasters sat behind a desk. One of them spoke, "In others news this morning--".

News report now over, Logan switched off the television, and turned back to Hank, "Yeah, so?". "Logan, I've just had word from a contact working on the case. What police aren't saying, is the wounds on the victims were caused by a set of twin-like metal blades - or claws. And a trace of an unknown metal has been found. Now, my guess, Adamantium". Closing his eyes momentarily, Logan sighed. _Crap..._ he thought. Logan got it, he knew where Hank was going with this. Laura.

Over two thousand miles away, in the middle of the Canadian Rockies, set against the snowy white landscape, stood a large black brick and metal building. Almost completely covered in snow itself, the building was conveniently camouflaged by the mountains and trees surrounding it. Agent Stan Davidson keyed in his ID security code and made his way though the building. It had been almost three weeks since he had completed his last assignment of planting the substance known as "Trigger Scent" in the water system of the Xavier Institute, to draw out the mutant known as X-23.

He had been given leave for those three weeks after, something his company often did, in case an Agent was tracked down, or caught. They didn't want to risk exposure to the company. Stan had been called in to speak to the Boss. He'd never met him before, not many agents had. But he had been told the boss was particularly interested in his assignment, and wanted the details first hand.

Stan reached his Boss's office, knocked on the door, and waited. Moments later from inside the room, a male voice said, "enter". Stan did so. The room was very dark, the only source of light was that of a small lamp in the corner of the room, and a laptop on the desk. "Please close the door, Agent Davidson" said the man sitting behind a desk, "And take a seat", he gestured to the chair the opposite side of the desk to himself. Stan sat and waited as the other man shuffled a few papers. Through the darkness, Stan could just about make out the features of his "Boss", he was thin man, looking to be in his early forties, with short dark blond hair, and he wore a white lab coat.

Over the next hour or so, Stan was asked to recall exactly how he played out his "mission". As he told the tale, his boss seemed more and more pleased with his work. "Excellent work, Agent. I have been informed that X-23 has now left the sanctuary of the mutant school, and was last sighted in New York City. Weather she is still there, remains to be seen. But we have our people looking".

Just then, there was a knock at the door, "Enter" Stan's boss instructed. Stan noticed he looked a little annoyed at the interruption. A tall dark haired man, with a short beard entered the room. "Sir," he began, "We may have a possible sighting of the subject, X-23". After a moment, Stan's boss stood up, then looked at Stan, "Thank you for coming in today, Agent Davidson. We'll be in touch". Taking this as his cue to leave, Stan stood up, "Yes, sir" he answered, and left the room. As he was closing the door, he heard his Boss say, "This had better be good, Kirkman".

Once the door was fully closed, Kirkman continued, "It seems X-23 may still be in New York. Last night a triple Homicide took place in the city". Kirkman watched his boss sit back down comfortably in his chair. "And how do we know this relates to X-23?". "We're still receiving information, but the murder weapon seems to be a set of two metal blades. The wounds are directly over the hearts of the victims. And the suspect seems to be teenage female. It reads X-23's MO". "Yes. Yes, it does" agreed his Boss, with a an evil-like smile. "Get me _everything_ you have on this, and I want to know the _moment_ you have any new information". "Yes sir, Dr. Rice", said Kirkman, as he left the room.

_**I am currently working on the second Chapter to this arc, please stay tuned. **_


	7. Playing Hero: Of Right And Wrong: Ch2

**Series Title:** X-23: No Way Back  
**. Story & Chapter Title: **Playing Hero – Chapter Two: Of Right And Wrong  
**. Author:** Alex Gregg (aka: ChickRockGuitar)  
**. Date Written:** March 2009 - (words written: 3198)  
**. Fiction Group:** X-Men Comics  
**. Story Rating:** T (some mild language)  
**. Summary Of Story****:** Part Two of "Playing Hero". Logan confronts Laura on her actions of the previous night, and struggles to teach Laura that what she did was wrong. Meanwhile Nick Fury visits the school.  
**. Auther's Notes:** This is the second chapter to the second story arc of a fanfictional serial of stories written by chickrockguitar. These stories are set in a slightly alternate Marvel universe - set with a new spin on the character of X-23.  
**. Disclaimer:** Marvel/X-Men characters, established concepts and previous storylines full credit goes to Marvel, Stan Lee, Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, and Co. Original storylines credit goes to me.  
**. More Info: **The Official Website: www (dot) x23 (dot) flyingmutt (dot) com

**_Please take a look at the website to understand the stories better._**

**Chapter Two: Of Right And Wrong  
****  
**Laura wasn't in when Logan arrived at his apartment an hour or so after speaking to Hank. Instead of going out to track her down, he decided to sit and wait. He spent ages mulling over what the hell he was going to say to her. But in the end, he figured, what he would say really depended on Laura's reaction to the whole situation. He'd been waiting about thirty minutes when Laura walked though the front door, dressed mostly in black, and carrying a large fully loaded brown grocery bag.

"Logan", said Laura, with a slight smile, "I thought you said you were not coming today?". Logan rose from the Sofa and turned to face her. "Hadn't planed to" was the only answer he gave. "Where the hell yer been?" he asked. It was then Laura noticed his scent. He was angry. Placing the grocery bag on the nearest kitchen counter, she replied, "To get food". She walked a few steps closer to him, then asked, "What is wrong?". Logan paused for a moment or two before answering her, "You have fun last night?". Laura gave him a confused look, "I... I do not understand". "Pretty simple question, kid" bit back Logan. "You made mornin' TV". He slammed a newspaper down on the coffee table, "_And_ the early edition of the Bugle!". Laura picked up the newspaper and read the headline: _Three Murdered in Brutal Attack_. Now she understood. "Oh..." was all she managed.

"What the _hell_ were yer doin'?!" asked Logan, his anger slowly rising. "Helping" answered Laura, in an almost innocent tone. Logan was thrown by her answer. Trying to keep his cool, he asked, "Helpin' who?". "Innocent people" she answered, "I have watched those men, Logan. They hurt people, women, for their pleasure. It is not right". Logan sighed. He was beginning to understand the situation. He walked a few steps closer to her, and spoke understandingly. "Kid, I get why yer did it, a'right? But understand, yer can't run around New York playin' superhero". "Why not? Are you afraid I'll get hurt?". "No!" shot back Logan, "I'm afraid yer'll get _caught!_" he told her.

"Kid, yer supposed to be layin' low. There's enough people out there lookin' for yer, without yer bringin' _more_ attention to yerself", he took a breath before adding, "Geez, I know they trained good and proper in covert operations. So I know yer know this!". "Yes, I do. I know how to stay hidden" Laura told him. "Right. So then tell me why the _hell_ yer'd risk yer cover?!". "Because I... I just want to be like you!" she blurted out. This shocked Logan. Those words were the last thing he ever wanted to hear from Laura. "Like... me?", he shook his head, "No. Kid, that's the one thing I _don't_ want yer to be. The world don't need two of me. Hell, it ain't copin' well with one of me". Laura ignored that, but spoke in a calm tone, "You and the X-Men help people. You stop the bad guys. _I_ want to help, _I_ want to stop the bad guys. I have hurt so many people, Logan. People who did not deserve to die. I know that now. And I want to make up for it. I want to make things right".

Logan sighed. In away he was touched by Laura's effort to, in her mind, "put things right", but he also knew there was no way of doing that, she'd gone too far, years ago, just like he had. For a few moments, he just looked at the young girl, her green eyes looking back at him. He wondered how he would explain what Laura need to know, without sounding like one hell of a hypocrite. Seconds later, he came to the decision to go for it, hypocrite or not, Laura needed hear this.

Logan shock his head slightly, he spoke in a slow, low, but calm tone. "Kid... Yer _can't_ make things right... not really", he paused for a moments, letting that sink in. "People like us… we done too much damage, hurt too many people. And yeah, maybe it weren't always our fault. The blood on our hands weren't always our own, sometimes it was theirs", he paused slightly, before adding, "But sometimes it weren't". Logan watched the teen listening to his words. He tried to get inside her head, he couldn't. "We can't fix what we done. But that's what it is, kid. Done" he told her.

"The only way to ever make things right, is to take away all the damage, and bring back all those innocent lives we took", he carried on, "and there's just no way do to that". Logan watched Laura stand in silence, she was no longer looking at him, but at the ground. He could see the girl understood his words - how much she understood and took in, he didn't know. But it was a start. And although his intention wasn't to make her feel bad, he felt it was a lesson he needed to give.

Logan watched the dejected teen move to the old sofa, and sit. He remained standing. After a few moments, she looked up at him questioningly. "If what you are saying is true, then why are you with the X-Men? If you can not make up for what you have done by helping others... then why do you do it?". Logan sighed and slumped down on the sofa next Laura. "Its complicated". he said.

The Office of Dr Zander Rice was almost completely dark, the room was windowless, as most of The Facility's building was. The dirty blond haired man lent back in his leather chair, staring at his computer screen. He was intently watching an old black and while video of Laura, or X-23 as he knew her, in a training session. The video was taken a few weeks before she escaped, back then she was thirteen years old. He watched the child mirror the hologram of Weapon X's movements. Every attack the Weapon X hologram made, she followed, even turn he gave, she coped exactly.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Rice briefly looked up from the screen, towards the door, then quickly pressed a button on his keyboard, minimizing the video footage from the computer screen, leaving only his desktop showing. "Enter" he told his visitor. The door opened, and Kirkman entered, carrying a paper file. "Morning, Sir" said Kirkman as he moved across the room, towards his boss, sitting at his desk. "I have some new information on X-23, I thought you'd like to know asap". "Yes indeed" answered Rice. Kirkman opened the file and handed across the desk to Rice.

"It appears that X-23 had an encounter with A.I.M a few weeks back". "_What?!_" said Rice angrily, glancing at the file. "It actually appears to be on the night she left the school", Kirkman carried on, "According to A.I.M's records, they somehow managed to track her - and shoot her to hell - the bullets laced in Chemical VH206". Rice looked up at his employee, for a second, Krikman thought he detected a hint of worry on his boss's face, "That, mixed with her own blood--", "Would have shut her healing factor down and proved Fatal", finished Rice. Krikman nodded. There was a few moments silence between the two men. "Any idea's how A.I.M would have known to use VH206 on a target such as X-23?". Kirkman shook his head "All I can think, is they grabbed samples her DNA when she hit their base four years ago". Rice thought about this. "Yes... you could be correct".

"So, why didn't it? Prove fatal? Did A.I.M's records show what went wrong?" asked Rice. "According to the records. _Nothing_ went wrong. The virus, once in her blood stream, _would_ have incapacitated her. Which was their plan of course - obviously enabling safe capture". "However, weeks later, X-23 is still in New York, alive and well" said Rice. "Yes, it appears so. She must of had help" replied Krikman. "Which begs the question, now isolated form the school, and from those who care, who would be helping her?". "I do not know, sir". Rice sighed. "Okay, thank you, Kirkman. Anymore information, come to me immediately". "Yes, sir" replied Kirkman, and with that he left the room. Rice took a last look at the file, then closed it and placed it to one side. He turned back to the computer screen, and pressed a button on the keyboard, the video popped back up and resumed. Rice watched the screen once again, "Where are you X-23" he said to himself, "Who's helping you".

Laura sat on Logan's balcony porch-swing, looking out at the city below. She watched traffic pass by in the distance. Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't sense Logan as he stepped though the glass doors and onto the balcony. "There yer are" he said, bringing her out of her thoughts. She looked up at him for a second before staring back out at the city. "What yer doin' out here?". "Thinking" was the only answer Laura gave. There was a moments silence between them, then Laura broke it.

"What you said before... Are you saying people like those men do not deserve to be punished?". With a slight sigh, Logan sat down next to her. "No, I ain't sayin' that. But, kid, it's not _your_ job to punish 'em" Logan told her. "It is not your _job_ either, but you still do it" shot back Laura. Logan sighed, "Kid, Right now, yer gotta worry about yerself, not others. A'right?". Laura nodded. "Look--" began Logan, but just then his cell rang. He pulled an annoyed expression, and then answered it, "Yeah?". Laura heard Scott's voice on the other end of the line. After a few moments, Logan spoke again, "A'right, I'll be there soon". The line disconnected and Logan put his cell back into his pocket. Turning back to Laura he said, "Listen, kid, I gotta get back to the school. Scott seems kinda--", "Concerned" finished Laura. "I could hear it in his voice" she explained. "Right" muttered Logan. He stood up, "So, yer'll be okay, here?". "Yes" she answered. Logan gave her a nod and he walked back into the apartment. Moments later Laura heard the apartment door close.

Roughly twenty fives minutes later, Logan pulled into the Xavier Institute. He brought his motorbike to a stop, and killed the engine. Just then, Scott opened the oak front doors. "Geez, Summers," said Logan, as he got off the bike, "yer either got impeccable timin', or--", "Emma told me you'd arrived" interrupted Scott. "Right. 'Course she did" muttered Logan as the two of them headed inside.

Scott closed the doors, and he and Logan continued down the hall. "So, what's the emergency?" asked Logan. "We have a guest. He wants to see you, and refuses to leave until he does" answered Scott. Logan stopped and sniffed. Annoyed, he tuned back to Scott. "Fury?!" he growled. Scott nodded. "What's he want?!" Logan demanded. "I don't know. You're the man he wants to see. Not me" replied Scott. "You coulda told me he was here" said Logan in a pissed off tone. "And would you have came?" questioned Scott. Logan sighed. He hated when Scott was right about him.

As Scott's office door opened, Colonel Nick Fury, dressed complete in his army gear, got up from his seat. "Ah, Logan. Good" said the older man. "Fury" growled Logan - which was his best attempt at a civil greeting. Scott walked into the room behind Logan and closed the door. "So, what's this about, 'cause yer know, I really got better things to do" said Logan, as he crossed his arms. Scott moved around the room, and sat behind his desk. Fury glanced at Scott, then directed his attention to Logan. "What is this about? I'm sure you can guess, Logan" answered Fury. Logan had indeed guessed why he was here, and if he had to put money on it, he'd say his guess was right. But playing dumb was favourite a pastime when it came to Fury. It pissed him off, and that was Logan's idea of funny. Logan just looked at the Colonel, pulling the expression that he had no idea as to why he was here. "Okay, let me make it simple for you" offered Fury, as he opened a paper file, which lay on Scott's desk. On the first page was a large printed black and white photo of Laura. "X-23".

"And?" said Logan still playing dumb. Fury began to get frustrated. "Quit playing games, Logan" he growled. "Three men were murdered last night". Fury then pulled a out a handful of black and white photos from the file. "Jack Morley" said Fury, as he placed the first photo on the desk. "Edward Bellard" he continued, as he placed another photo down next to it, "And, Tyler Kain" he finished as he placed the a third photo down. Fury watched Scott and Logan looking at the three images. "Recognize the brushwork?" Fury asked Logan. They showed morgue shots of Laura's three victims from the alley. "And what makes you think Laura did this?" growled Logan. "A girl fitting X-23's appearance was put at the scene. And, the weapon? Twin blades - or claws" he told Logan. "But here's the big clue - Traces of Adamantium were found in the victims wounds".

Scott glanced at Logan, who registered it, but ignored him. Logan thought Scott looked surprised, which meant Hank had kept his promise. He'd not told anyone what he had found out this morning. Fury turned back to Logan, "Where is she?" he demanded, "I know you're in contact with her". Logan ignored him. Scott, who had kept quiet until now, not looking at his teem mate, his gaze firmly fixed on the images, asked in a serious tone "Did she do it, Logan?". Logan didn't need to say anything, f_r_o_m_ _h_i_s_ _e_x_p_r_e_s_s_i_o_nb_o_t_h_ _S_c_o_t_t_ _a_n_d_ Fury had their answer. Scott shock his head in disbelief, while Fury sat back down on his chair, lost in thought for a few moments. "I'll have to take her in, Logan. You know that" said Fury. "Yer'll have to find her first" shot back Logan in anger.

"Logan--" began Scott, calmly, but was interrupted by Logan himself, "No! I don't wanna hear it, a'right, Summers? Whatever it is, _I don't wanna hear it!_". Fury stood up. "She's killing!" snapped Fury, jumping to his feet. "Again!" he added. Logan gave Fury a dangerous look. He spoke in a low, but pissed off tone, "I told you. She weren't responsible for what happened here a few weeks ago". "Yes. So you say. Upon smelling that, uh, 'Trigger Scent', she looses control" replied Fury. "But, Logan. I'm betting there was no Trigger Scent in that alley". Logan couldn't answer. Fury was right.

Logan sighed. "She's just a kid" he said, almost sadly, "She don't know any different. She's had nobody to _teach_ her different". "I'm sorry it's worked out this way" said Fury, not un-kindly, "But at some point, Logan, that excuse, just stops working" he finished. "I agree. Logan, I'm sorry, but I think it would be best if you cooperated here" said Scott. "Look!" bit back Logan, "Yer got _no idea_ what she's been though, Summers!" he shouted angrily. He turned to Fury, "Either of yer! Yer got no idea what they did to her, what they forced her to do. What _screwed up_ concepts they put into her head of Right and wrong", he turned back to Scott, "So _don't_ tell me what I should be doin'!"

"Logan, calmdown" requested Fury. "Yer know what? I ain't gotta listen to this crap!" spat Logan, and with that he opened the door, walked out and slammed it shut behind him. Fury turned to Scott, "What know?". "You do whatever it is you have to do. This has nothing to do with the X-Men" replied Scott. "The girl's a mutant!" argued Fury. "It's between you can Logan" said Scott, "I have a missing student to find" he sighed, getting to his feet. "Missing?" asked Fury. "Oh, I can assure you, nothing sinister, Colonel" smiled Scott, "The boy took off of his own accord. We just need to find him and make sure that he's alright. Now, if you'll excuse me" said Scott, holding the door open, indicating he was asking Fury to leave. Fury picked up his file, and left the room.

Logan had almost made it to the oak front doors when he heard Fury call his name. He stopped, sighed and turned to face the other man. Fury caught up to him, "Your not doing her any favours by keeping her from us. She _will_ be caught. Sooner or later". "Is that right?" said Logan in a matter of fact tone. "I'm not the enemy here" protested Fury. "Well, yer sure as hell actin' like it" retorted Logan. Fury sighed, "I just want to help the girl. Just like you". Logan let out a laugh, "Yeah, but yer see, yer idea of _helpin'_ her, is a _damn_ site different to mine!". Logan paused briefly before adding, "The last thing the kid needs is to be locked up in a cage! So, I'm tellin' yer - come after her, and it's gonna get _messy_". "I have no choice", replied Fury. "Then we're done", said Logan, before turning and continuing across the hall. He'd just made it to the front doors when Fury said, "Logan, I know you know where she is". Logan stopped and turned to face him, he gave the Colonel a smirk, "Yeah?" he said, "Prove it". And with that he opened the left oak front door and walked out.

Fury waited until he heard Logan start his bike's engine, then he took his cell from his pocket, flipped it open and hit a speed dial number. "It's Fury. I'm pretty sure he's making contact with the girl. Follow him. And, do not be seen. Update me as soon as you have a location". Now standing in the open doorway, Fury closed his cell and watched Logan ride down the drive and out of sight.

Logan had ridden ten miles before coming to a stop at the side of the road. He wasn't stupid. He knew he was being followed. He waited for just under a minute, and sure enough a dark looking car came into view. It had no choice but to carry on past him. Logan reached for his cell and dialled the required number. "It's me" he said into the speaker, "get out of the apartment. Wait for me in the park near the fountain. Stay hidden". "What is wrong?" asked Laura on the other end of the line. She could tell by his voice that this was serious. "Just do it, kid" said Logan. With that, he hung up. He took a few moments to think, before starting the engine once again and carrying on his way.

**_  
I am currently working on the third Chapter to this arc, please stay tuned._**


	8. Playing Hero: SHIELD: Ch3

**Series Title:** X-23: No Way Back  
**. Story & Chapter Title: **Playing Hero – Chapter Three: S.H.E.I.L.D  
**. Author:** Alex Gregg (aka: ChickRockGuitar)  
**. Date Written:** April 2009 - (words written: 2228)  
**. Fiction Group:** X-Men Comics  
**. Story Rating:** T (some mild language)  
**. Summary Of Story****:** Part Three of "Playing Hero". Logan meets up with Laura in Central Park, and makes plans to keep Laura from Fury's grasp. But it's not long before they pair of them are forced to run_._  
**. Auther's Notes:** This is the third chapter to the second story arc of a fanfictional serial of stories written by chickrockguitar. These stories are set in a slightly alternate Marvel universe - set with a new spin on the character of X-23.  
**. Disclaimer:** Marvel/X-Men characters, established concepts and previous storylines full credit goes to Marvel, Stan Lee, Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, and Co. Original storylines credit goes to me.  
**. More Info: **The Official Website: www (dot) x23 (dot) flyingmutt (dot) com

_**Please take a look at the website to understand the stories better.**_

**Chapter Three: S.H.I.E.L.D  
** **  
**Forty minutes after Logan had called Laura, he'd stashed his bike in an old lockup, then carefully making sure he wasn't being followed still, he made his way to though the busy city to Central Park. Making his way though the park's thick foliage, he'd found Laura where he'd asked her to wait.

The two of them had taken refuge in the park's dense trees and bushes whilst Logan explained to Laura what was going on. He had decided to wait until it was dark before moving. Although, he had yet to figure out where he was going to move to. "It'll be dark soon. We'll move out then", he told Laura. "And go where?" she asked. "Don't know. Haven't figured that out yet" he answered truthfully. "We need a plan" Laura told him, "A well thought out plan is the first step to the success of the mission" she carried on. Logan raised his eyebrows slightly, "Uh huh..." he muttered. When Laura spoke about "plans" and "missions", Logan was reminded of just what her creators had put her though. It made him feel sick, she was just a child, and at sixteen, she'd seen and done more things than the average war veteran. But Logan knew she wasn't wrong, they did need a plan.

Dusk began to draw in as Logan and Laura sat waiting for darkness. "Is S.H.I.E.L.D likely to give up hunting me, if I put enough distance between us?" Laura asked Logan. Logan sighed, "Fury ain't the 'givin' up' kinda guy, Kid". Laura gave a nod to show she understood. "But, we'll figure this out, a'right?" Logan added. "I have hurt people, Logan. People I cared about. People I had promised to protect. That is why he is hunting me. That is why we are sitting here" said Laura in a quiet tone. Logan wasn't quite sure what the teen was getting at. "Perhaps being caught by S.H.I.E.L.D is what I deserve" finished Laura. Now Logan understood. "Hey... What yer _deserve_, is a shot at a normal life" he told her, "Not this. Not any of this..." he muttered. "I do not think S.H.I.E.L.D or the X-Men would agree you" Laura told him. Logan glanced at the teen - unfortunately, he knew she was right.

As darkness fell on the city, Logan and Laura began to head out across the parkland. They kept to the foliage and shadows, the less they were seen by passers-by the better. They'd been walking ten minutes when Logan came to a sudden stop. Laura saw this and stopped also. She watched Logan as he listened into the darkness. "What is it?" she asked him. He turned to face her, "Yer don't hear them?" he asked. Laura listened, after a moment she said, "Dogs. Five of them". Laura and Logan's heightened senses had picked up the sound of their barks, the beat of their footsteps, as well as their scent. A normal human being would be totally unaware of the dogs at that range.

They both continued to listen into the Darkness. "Looks like we got at least fifteen men coming at us" Logan told Laura. "There are twenty one men on foot with the dogs" she corrected him, "And By the pacing of their footsteps, it seems most of them are carrying weaponry". Logan couldn't help but smile slightly, he was impressed with the accuracy of Laura's tracking skills. Laura turned to Logan, "They must have tracked you from the school". "I was careful" growled Logan, a little annoyed at the accusation. "Perhaps not careful enough" said Laura. Logan thought about arguing back, but in the end he let it go. "A'right, here's what we're gonna do--" he began, but was he interrupted by the sound of a helicopter overhead. Laura and Logan instinctively glanced up towards the darkened sky. Fury's search for Laura was now in full force, "_Crap_" growled Logan angrily.

He turned back to Laura, "If the dogs are trackin' me, they're gonna find me _alone_. Go west, get out of the park, head for the city border. I'll head 'em off east". Laura nodded, "Where is the rendezvous point?" she asked. "There ain't one" said Logan as he walked away, "I'll find yer" he added. Laura didn't move, Logan noticed this and stopped. From her expression, Logan could see Laura wasn't comfortable with this. He looked her straight in the eye, "I'll _find yer_, kid" he promised, "Now, go!" he ordered, pointing to the path he wanted her to take. Laura gave Logan an unsure look, then sprinted off in an westerly direction. Logan let out a breath, before heading east.

Logan moved at a steady pace though the trees. He didn't want put himself too far from the dogs, as leaving a close trail would keep their mind on him, rather than picking up Laura's scent. Logan glanced up overhead as the search lights from the hovering Helicopter passed him by. Logan knew that the Helicopter belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D, and that Fury was inside - he'd caught his scent on the wind. Moments passed as Logan carried on his way though the park, the dogs getting closer and closer. His thoughts turned to Laura. It was obvious that Fury wasn't going to back down, and without an outright confrontation, Logan had no idea how he was going to keep Laura from falling into S.H.I.E.L.D's hands. _So be it_. _If a fight's what Fury wants, that's what he'll get_, thought Logan.

Logan slowed his pace a little, the sound of the dogs now seemed to be fading. Surely they weren't having trouble tracking him, he'd laid easy and obvious tracks. He came to a stop and sniffed the air. Using his enhanced senses, Logan formed a picture in his mind: The dogs were no longer heading east, towards him, they'd stopped and were doubling back. In that moment, realisation hit, Laura had been wrong: the dogs had never been tracking him, they had been tracking her.

As he sprinted back the way he'd come, Logan cursed himself for not thinking things though. Yes, Laura had great tracking knowledge, but she'd just assumed they'd tracked him from the school, she couldn't have known for sure. And, yes, it was the mostly likely scenario, but this was Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D that they were dealing with. Logan knew he should have known better. He was pissed with himself for not having the foresight to know that if Fury wanted Laura, he'd be tracking Laura. It dawned on him that the person Fury had following him from the school was just a distraction. Logan headed back towards Laura, taking every short cut he could find. He had to reach her before the dogs did. He knew by now that she would have realised what was going on, just had he had. He also knew, that if the worst came to the worst, Laura would not hesitate in taking out both the dogs and the soldiers. But, this was S.H.I.E.L.D - Logan knew they were well equipped with all kinds of Gadgets - Gadgets that may just be enough to incapacitate and take Laura down.

As he sped though the parkland, Logan could small Laura's scent getting stronger, he was catching up to her, but that meant he was also catching up to the dogs and S.H.I.E.L.D's men, who were now closer to Laura then he would have liked. He pushed on though the trees and soon the dogs and soldiers were just about in sight. Logan took a path leading to his right - the plan was to overtake them, and catch up to Laura - without being scented by the dogs or seen by the soldiers.

Avoiding fallen logs, brambles and other foliage, Laura quickly made her way west. She instinctively glanced backwards as she moved though the parkland. The dogs catching up with her at a rapid pace. Laura thought about Logan, she wondered where he was right now, and wondered if he was angry with her for miscalculating the situation. One small mistake can lead to the failure of the entire mission. And the mistake that she had made was not a small one. _Logan should be angry_, thought Laura. If she had messed up like this on a Facility-mission, she would have been punished.

Laura came to a stop for a few moments. She thought about waiting for the dogs and soldiers to catch up to her and take them all out. But that would draw attention to her location, and it was most likely that S.H.I.E.L.D had back up teams on the way. Also, she didn't quite understand why, but she could sense that Logan wanted to avoid a confrontation. Taking note of her surroundings, she was just about to set off again when she heard a twig snap. Laura spun round, claws popped, ready to fight. She came to a stop when she realised who was standing in front on her: Logan.

"Logan" breathed Laura, as she retracted her claws. "Lost yer senses, Kid?" Logan asked her, "Yer shoulda caught my scent long before I broke that twig". _Yes, I should have done,_ thought Laura, _Another mistake_. "I am sorry. I seem to be--", began Laura, but Logan shook his head, "Forget about it" he told her, "Lets move" he added. Laura followed his lead as the two of them set off once again. They hadn't gone far when Laura said, "I am sorry". "I said forget about it" Logan replied. "No, I... I meant, I should not have assumed the dogs were tracking you. I should not have questioned your Escape and Evade abilities. I am sorry" apologised Laura. Logan glanced at the teen, "We all make mistakes, kid" he told her. "But we shouldn't. _I_ shouldn't! Mistakes can lead to the failure of the entire mission" she replied, sadly. "Yer're not a machine, Laura. Makin' mistakes - it's called bein' _human_" said Logan firmly, "So, _forget about it_, a'right?" he added. Laura nodded.

The pair of them travelled onwards, trying to put as much distance between them and the dogs and soldiers as they could. The helicopter continued to fly overhead. Every now and then, Laura caught Logan glance up at the nights sky, keeping an eye on the helicopter. She noted that he seemed uneasy. "Once we get to the other side of the park, and back into the city, it'll be harder for them to track us. Even at night, a group of soldiers is gonna be seen" Logan told Laura. "So, that is the plan? To reach the opposite side of the park?" she asked, "Then where do we go?". Logan sighed. He hadn't thought that far ahead yet. "Just follow my lead, okay, kid?" he growled. Registering the tone in his voice, Laura decided to reframe from asking him anymore questions.

Ten minutes later, they reached a clearing. Logan stopped and turned to Laura. She knew what he was going to say, and she didn't think it was a good idea. "You want to cross the open ground" she stated, "It is a bad idea. We should stick to the trees" she finished. "Kid, the only way we can do that is head back the way we came". He glanced over his shoulder, "And that ain't an option. They'll be on us in minutes. No cover is risky, I know, but we gotta move forward". Laura swallowed. She didn't like this plan. Logan caught her expression. "Look, we make it fast, we'll be fine" he said. After a few moments, Laura nodded. "Okay" said Logan, "Ready?". Laura Nodded. "Go!" he told her.

Both Logan and Laura sprinted form the trees, heading across the open parkland. The helicopter suddenly flew into view overhead. Laura glanced up at it, "Keep movin', kid!" said Logan as he ran beside her. Laura stared ahead as she ran, the trees in the distance seemed too far away to reach, and with every step, they didn't seem to get any closer. At any moment, Laura was expecting to hear shots fired at her from above, however, none came, the helicopter simply flew above them.

Like Laura, Logan was also expecting fired shots from above. _Somthin's not right_, he thought. From above, the helicopter had a perfect opportunity to fire at them both, it didn't. Suddenly, Logan picked up the sound of vehicles, racing over grassland, snapping branches as they ploughed though the trees. A quick sniff told him they were heading in his direction. It had to be S.H.I.E.L.D.

Moments later, two of S.H.I.E.L.D's vans bust from the trees to their right, then another two from the left, and finally three from the trees in the distance, where they had hoped to find cover. Logan came to a stop, as did Laura. "Ah, _crap!_" spat Logan, "Looks like we got company, kid" he said. He sighed angrily, he didn't want this. He didn't want a fight. But if a fight was what Fury pushed him to, then he was ready. The vehicles came to a stop a little way off from the pair, and countless soldiers jumped out, armed with guns. From the tress behind them, the soldiers and dogs who had been tracking the pair, had finally caught up. Laura and Logan were now surrounded on all sides.

_**I am currently working on the fourth Chapter to this arc, please stay tuned. **_


	9. Playing Hero: From Bad To Worse: Ch4

**Series Title:** X-23: No Way Back  
**. Story & Chapter Title: **Playing Hero – Chapter Four: From Bad To Worse  
**. Author:** Alex Gregg (aka: ChickRockGuitar)  
**. Date Written:** June 2009 - (words written: 2835)  
**. Fiction Group:** X-Men Comics  
**. Story Rating:** T (some mild language)  
**. Summary Of Story****:** Part Four of "Playing Hero". S.H.I.E.L.D catches up to Laura and Logan, and the pair are forced to fight. But Fury's men are more than ready for them, and things take a turn for the worst.  
**. Auther's Notes:** This is the third chapter to the second story arc of a fanfictional serial of stories written by chickrockguitar. These stories are set in a slightly alternate Marvel universe - set with a new spin on the character of X-23.  
**. Disclaimer:** Marvel/X-Men characters, established concepts and previous storylines full credit goes to Marvel, Stan Lee, Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, and Co. Original storylines credit goes to me.  
**. More Info: **The Official Website: www (dot) x23 (dot) flyingmutt (dot) com

_**Please take a look at the website to understand the stories better.**_

**Chapter Three: S.H.I.E.L.D  
** **  
**Logan eyed the gun wielding S.H.I.E.L.D soldiers as they jumped from their vans and scattered like ants, surrounding himself and Laura. He moved into position so that he was standing back to back with her, they both took in the scene before them. "We are surrounded" Laura stated. "I know..." answered Logan. "There are at least... thirty soldiers" she told him. "I know" repeated Logan, who had also done a rough body count. "We will have to fight" Laura continued. "I know!" snapped Logan. He wished she'd stop stating the obvious, he was trying to think of a way out of this, but nothing except an all out bloody confrontation was coming to mind. Which wasn't what he wanted.

As the solders inched closer, Laura popped her hand claws, ready for a fight. Logan held his hand out to her "No!" he told her, "Put 'em away". That confused Laura, but she did as Logan asked. "We will have to fight. It is the only way out" she said. "No. I fight. Yer don't" replied Logan. "Why?" she asked. "Fury's got enough on yer. This is just an excuse for him to pin somthin' else" he growled. Just then, what appeared to be the lead solider, took a step forwards, "Stand down, Wolverine!". The solider trained his gun on the center of Logan's chest, "We're here for X-23. Orders of Colonel Fury". Logan ignored him, he turned to Laura, "Get outta here". Laura didn't move, "I will not leave you to fight them alone" she told him. "What? Yer think I can't handle it?" Logan answered. Laura said nothing, she knew better. "Go. I'll handle this" he insisted. "They will not just let me run". Logan knew she had a point. "Then we need a distraction" he replied. He popped his own claws. "What are you going to do?" Laura asked. "Distract 'em" replied Logan with a slight grin.

Without warning, Logan raised his claws, and with a violent roar he charged at the nearest group of soldiers, cutting down those he came into contact with. For a few moments the entire squad's eyes were on him, and Laura knew this was her cue to escape. She darted from where she stood, and sprinted across the wide open parkland, heading for the trees in the distance. She hadn't made it very far when she heard of one the soldiers shout, "Target is on the move! Pursue! And the take_ hell_ down!". With those orders given, the soldiers split into two groups: one group continued to fight back from Logan's attacks, using their guns where possible, while the other made after Laura.

Laura saw them coming, but before she had time to react fully, the group surrounded her. Eyeing the circle of soldiers, Laura popped her hand claws, ready to fight back. The lead soldier spoke, "Stand down, X-23! Or we'll _put you down!_". Ignoring him Laura raised her claws, ready to strike.

Logan was pleased to see Laura had taken the opportunity to run whilst he was carrying out his "distraction". As long as she got out of the park, he didn't care how many of Fury's men had to take out. Cutting down those who came close to him, he moved though the soldiers one after the other, gritting his teeth, biting back the pain each time a bullet hit him. As the second wave of Fury's men came towards him, Logan wondered where Fury himself was. He wasn't the kind of guy to let his men take the fall. Logan was concerned that there was more to this assault than met the eye.

"Stand _down_, X-23!_ Now!_" shouted the lead solider, his gun trained on her chest. From Laura's expression, he knew she wasn't going to. Not waiting for her attack, he barked orders to his men, "Wave one!". Once again, before Laura had the chance to react fully, the entire group seemed to simultaneously remove a hand-gun from their belts, and fire. Laura cried out as she was knocked backwards from jolts of electricity. These were not regular hand-guns, they were teasers. Extreme pain surged though her as tried to right herself back into a standing position. "Wave two!" came the lead soldiers voice. And once again, the guns fired. This time, Laura went down. She dropped to all fours, trying to fight the pain from the electricity, willing her healing factor to kick in faster. Normally, a single blow from a one of S.H.I.E.L.D's specially designed extra strength teasers would be enough to render a normal person unconscious. Laura, however, had received more than fifteen blows - twice, and was still holing on, thanks to her enhanced healing abilities.

From a few meters away, Logan heard Laura's cries. Looking past those he was fighting, he saw the teen on all fours struggling to move. "Kid! No!" he shouted, trying not to panic, "Get up!" he yelled, as he continued to cut though the soldiers closest to him. Laura heard Logan's calls as she tried to get to her feet. But it was no good, the hits from the teasers had rendered her muscles useless. "Wave three!" came another shout from the lead soldier. This time, as the electricity from the teaser-guns hit her, Laura could do nothing except fall flat to the ground. As she hit the grass, her claws retracted, she was now barely coconscious. With their target now on the ground, the group of soldiers moved in closer. "Wave four" barked the lead soldier, his men pointed their guns, and fired. This was the final blow they had needed - Laura lay unmoving, now fully unconscious.

The lead solider carefully took a few steps closer to the unconscious teen, then looked around at his men, "Where's the tranq?" he asked. From the back of the group one of his men stepped forwards and held out a small dart gun. The lead soldier took it, aimed it at Laura's neck a fired. "That should do it" he informed his men. "Sanders, Beckman, you know what to do with her. The rest of you, we've still got work to do", he pointed towards Logan, who was now taking out the last two remaining soldiers. The rest of the group, who he had been fighting now lay lifeless at his feet.

As S.H.I.E.L.D's men continued to come at him from all directions, Logan's movements began to get a little sloppy. He could see Laura was now on the ground, unmoving, and his attempts to get to her were in vain. As soon as he had dealt with one soldier, the next came at him. He had to give credit where credit was due: Fury had put together a good plan of attack. Logan violently shoved his claws though the last soldiers chest, and the young twenty-something guy fell to the ground. Now he had taken out the first group of soldiers, he turned to those who where surrounding Laura. His plan was to keep them busy so that she had time to recover from the teaser blasts. But before he knew it, the group was upon him. Once again Logan was forced to fight - and he didn't hold back. Once again, delivering violent blows to each and every S.H.I.E.L.D soldier who came at him.

While the other members of their group were keeping Logan busy, S.H.I.E.L.D soldiers Richard Sanders and Jason Beckman quickly grabbed Laura, and as fast as they could, they both carried her over to the nearest van. Sanders jumped into the back, and Beckman handed him their unconscious Target. Then after slamming the backdoors shut, he made for the drivers side of the _vehicle_.

Logan heard an engine start as he fatally wounded yet another of Fury's men. Glancing though the few remaining soldiers, he searched for Laura. He couldn't see her. He sniffed the air, tracking her scent - it lead to the now moving van. "Noooo!" shouted Logan, realising she was inside. With a swipe of his claws, Logan cut down another soldier, then set off at top speed across the darkened parkland. But after having ran just a few meters, bullet after bullet struck him in the back. Logan ignored the pain and carried on running. He had to catch the van, he had to get Laura out. As he ran, he glanced behind him, the last three soldiers were giving chase, guns in hand, firing at will.

As more bullets hit, and the pain became more intense, Logan began to feel himself slowing. The van was gaining speed, and the soldiers behind him were catching up. "Come on, kid! Wake up!" muttered Logan to himself, as he ran. Logan wasn't sure what was going on. He'd seen her hit with S.H.I.E.L.D's tasers, and knew from experience that they hurt like hell, but surely, he thought, her healing factor should have kicked in by now. He was hoping that any second, the van doors would burst open, and she'd jump out. They didn't. Suddenly Logan heard a loud 'woosh'. Then something hit the ground a few feet in front of him. He came to a stop as a cloud of green gas exploded from the ground, inches from where he stood. Seconds later he was completely engulfed in it.

Logan coughed and sputtered. He eyes stung and he felt dizzy. He squinted, trying to make out his surroundings. But it was no good, the only thing he could see was green gas. Moments ticked by, Logan fought to remain in an upright position, trying to regain his sight and sense of smell. Thoughts of Laura trapped in the van ran though his mind. She was in S.H.I.E.L.D hands, and although Fury was generally one of the good guys, this was not a good thing for Laura. Finally the gas seemed to clear, Logan frantically searched his surroundings. Nothing. The van had long gone.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Logan turned to face the three remaining soldiers. The lead soldier and his men stood their ground, roughly three meters away, their guns trained on him. Logan eyed them with pure rage. They had done this. They had made him loose track of the van, of Laura. With a roar of anger, Logan popped his claws and charged. The three men didn't stand a chance.

Laura woke to the sound of an motor engine. As she began to fully come-to, she realised she was moving along in a vehicle. Just then a voice spoke to her through the darkness, "Hello, X-23". Laura froze, her blood ran could. She swallowed. It couldn't be _him_, could it? An overhead light flicked on from the ceiling of the van, lighting up the entire four by six space, allowing Laura to fully see her surroundings. She silently breathed a sight of relief, it wasn't him. Three men sat opposite her, two soldiers with guns, sat either side of an older looking man. From his uniform, Laura could tell he ranked higher then the other two. It was clear that he was in charge. He spoke slowly and calmly to her, "My name is Colonel Nick Fury" he said, "You are now in S.H.I.E.L.D custody" he informed her.

As he spoke, Laura realised her wrists and forearms had been chained to the metal bench on which sat, and her legs had been chained to the vans floor. "I apologize for the extreme force", carried on Fury, "But, I could see no other way in handling this". Instinctively Laura began to pull at her chains. "I assure you, you will not be able to break though those chains", he remained calm as he spoke to her, "And, I assume, you realise that your claws can not help you either". Laura had already figured that out. The way she had been chained meant that even if she did pop her claws, they be no use to her, as she could not move her hands or feet. These people were smart, thought Laura.

Laura looked directly at Fury, "Where is Logan?" she asked. Fury didn't answer her right away, but after few moments, replied with, "S.H.I.E.L.D is dealing with him". "What does that mean?" demanded Laura. "It means, X-23, that he will not be mounting a rescue". This man did not know Logan, thought Laura. Fury changed the subject, "Do you understand why you are in S.H.I.E.L.D custody?" he asked her. "Yes" she replied. "And why is that?", "Because you wish to use me as your weapon" answered Laura. "No, X-23" said Fury, "You are in S.H.I.E.L.D custody because you are a danger to the American people. You kill without reason. And this can not be allowed". "I don not" said Laura. This shocked Fury. He wasn't expecting that. "Oh? Then tell me why you murdered three young men twenty four hours ago?". "Because it was my mission" Laura answered, calmly.

"Your _mission?_" spat Fury. Laura sensed that she had angered him. Although she didn't know why. He had asked her a question and she had told him the truth. "It was your _mission_ to murder these men?" asked Fury. "Yes" she answered. "Why? Who gave the orders?" he asked her. "Nobody gave me orders. The mission was my own. I watched them. Those men liked to hurt woman for their own pleasure. It was not right" Laura told him. "So, you took it upon yourself to... stop it" said Fury, who was beginning to understand the way this teen thought. "Yes" answered Laura, "They needed to be punished" she told him. For a few moments, Fury didn't speak. He was lost in thought. He watched Laura, he was surprised by the way she spoke, it was calm, truthful, and almost innocent. He was beginning to realise that this case perhaps wasn't so black and white as he'd first thought.

"Okay, so lets go back a few weeks. Xavier's School. Are you telling me those kids 'needed to be punished' also?" asked Fury. Laura didn't answer straight away. "No... They were my friends. I did not mean to harm them...". As she spoke, Fury heard the choke in her voice, and saw the sorrow in her eyes. This shocked him. _So, she does know remorse_, he thought. "What happened?" he asked her. Once again, Laura choked out the words, "Somebody came into the school and planted Trigger Scent. When I smell that scent, everything goes black, and when I wake up, those who have been infected by it, are dead. I did not mean to hurt anybody" she told him, "They were my friends" she repeated sadly. Fury nodded. Laura's account tied into what Scott Summers had told him.

Fury hated this. He hated being into two minds about a suspect. He liked a clean cut case. Locate the Target, arrest them, find out what happened, and put them away. This case wasn't going to be as simple as that. Yes, the girl was guilty, but could you really call that guilt her own? Fury had read Steve Rogers' files on X-23, at the time, he had not understood why Steve, a man who fought for truth and justice would just let this girl, this murderer, walk away - now he was beginning to. From birth she had been moulded into a killer. Her perception of right and wrong had been wrongfully warped by her creators, Fury could see that, but at the end of the day, did that really make her any less guilty? He sighed quietly. _No_, he thought, _Three years on, she's still taking lives. No matter the reason why, it's still happening. There may be shades of grey in her guilt, but it has to end. Now._

Fury let go of his thoughts and looked back towards his teenage captive. She was watching him. He wondered what she was thinking. He made up his mind, he was going to end this, it was the right thing to do, he was sure of it. "X-23" he began, "You are currently on route to S.H.I.E.L.D facilities, once there you will be assed and tried for the murders of--" he was suddenly cut short. A loud thud came from above them. Something or someone had landed on top of the fast moving vehicle.

Simultaneously, Laura, Fury and his two men gazed up at the roof. "What the hell was that?!" said the solider sitting to Fury's left. Fury glanced at Laura, she said nothing, they both knew what - or who this was. "That would be Wolverine" said the colonel, in a somewhat angry tone. "I thought you said he was being kept busy?!" said the solider to Fury's right. The man seemed panic-stricken. "Sir" he added, out of respect. "It appears your colleagues have failed in their attempt, solider" muttered Fury. He was desperately trying to think of what course of action to take next. Any moment now, he knew Wolverine would be inside the vehicle. And then, all hell would brake lose.

_**I am currently working on the fith Chapter to this arc, please stay tuned. **_


	10. Playing Hero: Why We Fight: Ch5

**Series Title:** X-23: No Way Back  
**. Story & Chapter Title: **Playing Hero – Chapter Five: Why We Fight  
**. Author:** Alex Gregg (aka: ChickRockGuitar)  
**. Date Written:** August 2009 - (words written: 3195)  
**. Fiction Group:** X-Men Comics  
**. Story Rating:** T (some mild language)  
**. Summary Of Story****:** Part Five of "Playing Hero". As Logan mounts a desperate rescue mission, Fury prepares himself for Logan's wrath. Fury, Logan and Laura must understand the reason as to why they fight.  
**. Auther's Notes:** This is the third chapter to the second story arc of a fanfictional serial of stories written by chickrockguitar. These stories are set in a slightly alternate Marvel universe - set with a new spin on the character of X-23.  
**. Disclaimer:** Marvel/X-Men characters, established concepts and previous storylines full credit goes to Marvel, Stan Lee, Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, and Co. Original storylines credit goes to me.  
**. More Info: **The Official Website: www (dot) x23 (dot) flyingmutt (dot) com

_**Please take a look at the website to understand the stories better.**_

**Chapter Three: Why We Fight  
** **  
**Logan balanced on top of the moving van as the vehicle sped along the darkened road. He knew if he had any chance of getting Laura out if this, he had get her out before they reached S.H.I.E.L.D's base, once inside, an escape would be almost imposable. Logan knew S.H.I.E.L.D had a number of bases scattered across the country, he'd been to many of them in the past. He knew this route, they were perhaps roughly twenty minutes from the New York base. He had to stop the van, now.

Logan new the fastest way to stop the van was to firstly deal with it's driver and his colleague up front. He carefully moved towards the front of the vehicle's roof and positioned himself so he was directly above the front passengers seat. He steadied himself with his right hand, and popped his left hand claws, driving them down hard and fast though the vans roof. Seconds later a scream of a man in extreme pain could be heard from below. Logan smiled to himself - he'd hit his target.

The van suddenly began to move erratically from one side of the road to the other. Logan pulled his blood soaked claws free from the roof and held on. Those travelling in the back of the van tried to brace themselves whilst the vehicle sped along the road. After a few moments, the van began to slow down. From the back of the van, Fury shouted orders at his driver, "Gibson! Keep moving. _Do Not stop! _You hear me?! _Do not stop!_". However seconds later, Gibson's screams could heard throughout the van, and the vehicle itself came to a complete stop. Once again Logan pulled his claws - covered with Gibson's blood - from the roof, stood up and then dropped to the ground.

From inside the van, Fury barked ordered to his two men, "Those doors will be open in seconds! When they do, fire at will". His men immediately moved into position, kneeling with their guns trained on the vans back doors. "Your bullets will not hold Logan for long" stated Laura. The Colonel ignored her, and reached for his radio. He spoke into it, "This is Fury. We Need back up. Now!"

Logan sniffed the air, trying to determine how many men were inside the van. He caught the scent of two other men. He was surprised at Fury's lack of security surrounding Laura. _Perhaps good old Nick had put more faith in his soldiers than he should have done_, thought Logan. Moving towards the van, he popped his claws and readied himself to face the soldiers behind the doors.

The sound of gunfire rang though the deserted road, as Fury's two men fired shot after shot. Logan roared in anger as the bullets hit him. The two soldiers stepped out from the van, trying to get a better shot. They stalked towards Logan, one moving to the left of him, and the other to the right, firing at will. Logan slashed his claws towards them, within moments the gunfire had stopped and the soldiers lay dead. For a moment, the silence was deafening. Logan turned and made his way back to the van. But just as he got there, a motor engine sounded in the distance. Logan turned towards the sound, seconds later, headlights sped into view. Another S.H.I.E.L.D van screeched to a stop a few metres in front of him. Logan sighed. He popped his claws, ready for yet another fight.

Logan charged at the group of S.H.I.E.L.D soldiers coming towards him. He dodged as many bullets as he could, as they fired at will. He was growing more and more angry by the second. He'd had enough of this now. As he reached the first solider, he slashed his claws across the young man's chest and he fell to the ground. Logan then moved on to the next. Between the three vans which had, moments ago, screeched to a stop at the scene, there were perhaps two dozen soldiers.

The_ minutes _ticked on by as Logan moved though Fury's men , one after the other. Fury himself, watched from the open doors of his van. He swore to himself, his men were no match for Logan, but really, if he was honest with himself, armed with simple weaponry, did he really expect them to be? He watched Logan finish off his last remaining man. He knew what was coming next. Logan, splattered with blood, turned on his heal, and stalked back towards the van. Fury was no coward, he stepped out from inside the van, and stood in front of it, blocking Logan from its contents.

Logan wore an pissed off expression as he made his away back towards the van and Fury. Claws stilled popped, he stopped when he was roughly three meters away. "Step aside, Fury" he growled. "That's not going to happen, my friend" answered the Colonel. "Come on, Nick" said Logan, "Yer don't step aside, yer know there's only one way this'll go down". Fury stood his ground, "I can't let you take her, Logan. She belongs to S.H.I.E.L.D now". That sentence angered Logan even more. Laura had been classed as something to be 'owned', somebody's 'property', since birth, Logan hated the thought of that, and he was damned if he was going to let Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D or anyone else 'own' her once more. Raising his bloodstained claws, and with a snarl, he charged at Fury.

However, the Colonel was ready. He pulled a small teaser from his belt, pointed it Logan and fired. The teaser beam hit Logan squarely in the chest, knocking him ten feet backwards. He landed flat on his back with a thud, retracting his claws on impact. Logan lay shaking from the teaser's fierce electrical current, which continued to surge through his body. The pain was horrific. He'd been shot with a lot of teasers in his time, but nothing like this. Fury edged closer, never moving teaser from Logan's direction. The Colonel could see the pain on Logan's face, he came to a stop as close to man as dared, "Hurts, yes? It's not your normal teaser. It was designed especially for super-freaks like you" Fury told him. Logan continued to fight the pain. In that moment, every inch of him wanted to snap Fury's neck like kindling. He was beyond pissed. If only he was able to move.

Moments ticked by, the pain finally seemed to be subsiding - slightly. Logan struggled to his feet. Surprisingly, Fury let him. _Perhaps he's waitin' for his moment_, thought Logan. Logan and Fury made eye contact. "What yer waiting for, Nick? Come on! Where's round two?!". Fury fired, but this time, Logan was ready, he dodged the teaser beam. Fury tried again. Logan dodged it once more. He then charged at Fury, knocking the teaser from his grasp. They both flew backwards, only coming to a stop when Fury hit a large oak tree, with a thud. Logan let go of the Colonel and he fell to the ground, unconscious. Giving him one last look, Logan then walked back to the van.

Logan made fast work of cutting through Laura's chains with his claws, "Come on, kid. We gotta go", he told her as he exited the van. Without a word, Laura followed. As they stepped out from the van, Fury was coming-to. He stood up, dazed, but recovering quickly, "Logan, don't do this". Laura watched as Logan walked over to him. Angrily, he grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and pinned him up against the oak tree. He didn't speak, he just stared at the Colonel, making sure he held eye contact. For he first time in a long time, Fury was afraid. He couldn't read Logan's expression, and didn't know what he planned to do next. He knew Logan could smell his fear.

After a few moments, Fury spoke, "We've been almost friends for a long time now, Logan". "That we have" answered Logan, not releasing his grip. "We've fought together, fought against each other..." Fury carried on. "Yep" agreed Logan, almost causally, "But this time, Fury, it's a little more personal" he told him. "Yes, I'd agree with that" said the Colonel, "You slaughtered my men". "Yer sent 'em after me! What'd yer expect?! We'd go for tea?!" snarled Logan. "You could have left them alive" argued Fury. "I could have" said Logan, "But I was makin' a _point_". "Which was?" asked Fury. Logan finally let go of the Colonel, who breathed a silent breath of relief. "Leave her alone, Nick" Logan answered. He locked eye contact with Fury, "I ain't gonna ask a second time" he warned, "Come after her again, and the same thing's gonna go down, and maybe next time, _yer'll_ be amongst the bodies". And with that he turned his back on Fury and walked back towards Laura.

Logan had just made it back to the teen, when Fury spoke, "I don't appreciated being threatened". Wearing a pissed off expression, Logan turned back to face him, "It ain't a threat. It's a promise" he told him coldly. He turned back to Laura, "Come on, Kid, lets go". He ushered her in the direction from which they'd came. Fury stood watching them walk away, there was nothing he could do but let them go. They had won, he knew that, however, he tried one last time. He called out to Logan as he and Laura walked away, "If you walk away now, the girl will be hunted for the rest of her life! S.H.I.E.L.D won't stop!". Logan stopped, and once again, turned back to face the Colonel. "And you and I? We'll be enemies from here on out!" Fury continued. Logan snorted. Was he for real? Was that supposed to change his mind and give Laura up? It was laughable. Laura had been hunted by Facility the since the day she'd escaped, what did S.H.I.E.L.D matter? He and Fury had been enemies before, it didn't bother Logan if they were again. "Then so be it!" shouted Logan angrily. He once again turned on his heal and walked away. Laura took one last look at Fury and followed.

As they walked away, they heard Fury calling out once more, "This isn't over, Logan! You hear me?! It's not over!". Laura glanced at Logan as he walked. He didn't look at her, or back at Fury. He wore an unreadable expression, but his scent told Laura that he was livid. She also detected a slight hint of worry. Which, she knew Logan was doing his best to hide. Taking all this on board, Laura decided that it may be best to stay silent as they walked together back into the bright lights of city.

It was almost dawn by the time Laura and Logan had made it back into the city and back to Logan's apartment. Neither of them felt like sleeping, so they sat on the balcony's swing. For a long time they sat mostly in silence. Laura broke it. She didn't look at Logan, but out towards the city as she spoke, "Fury will never stop hunting me". Logan wasn't sure if that was a statement or a question. he awers as best he could. "If he tries again, he knows I'll come for him". "We killed a lot of his men last night. Will he want revenge?" asked Laura. Logan turned to Laura, "_He_ sent them after _us_, Laura. Not the other way around. He knows what they were up against. He knows me, knows what I'm capable of. What happened to his men was on _him_". "But we still killed. _I_ still killed. You told me that is wrong" said Laura. Logan sighed. He didn't know how to explain things to her without sounding like killing was okay. It wasn't. That wasn't want he wanted to teach her. Logan hated himself for killing. But sometimes, it order to survive in this world... it had to be done.

"Kid... Us, Mutants, have gotta fight for a place in this world. We don't, then we're dead. There's people out there who wanna exterminate us just for being _us_. They can't except what we are. We fight if we have to. Sometimes it's a choice, sometimes its not. There ain't a lot of Mutants who will do what we do. Which's why, we--I, get the dirty work. I did what I had to do last night". He caught Laura's eye, "_And I'd do it again_. Yer understand?". Laura nodded slightly. Yes, she understood. Last night, Logan had fought to keep her safe and free. And She was thankful for that.

The pair of them sat in silence once more. After a while, Laura broke it, "When Fury first spoke to me... for a second, I thought it was Rice. I thought he had come back". Logan turned to face her. As she said Rice's name, he detected a hint of fear. "He's dead, kid" Logan reassured her. "I know. I killed him..." said Laura quietly. "So he ain't comin' back. Yer ain't gotta worry about him Laura" Logan told her. He gave her a slight smile. However, he knew his words had not held any comfort.

Zander Rice looked up from his computer screen as a knock sounded at the door. "Enter" he called. Agent Kirkman opened the door and walked though the threshold, carrying a paper folder. "Sir, news just in, a S.H.I.E.L.D agent known as Colonel Fury led a capture assault on X-23, in New York City last night". "What?!" said Rice, shocked, "Are sure? It was _definitely_ X-23?". "Yes sir. Facility agents have confirmed it" answered Kirkman. "And, was the capture a success? Do they have her?". "No, sir. S.H.I.E.L.D failed in their attempt. She had help". "Who?!" Rice demanded. "You're not going to believe this, sir" said Kirkman, "She's found him". He opened the paper folder, took out a piece of paper, and handed it to his Boss. Rice took it. "She's found _Weapon X_" said Kirkman.

Rice stared at the printed photograph. He hand shook slightly. Anger rose inside of him. He hated this man to the very core. His whole life, since he was ten years old, had been based in that hatred. And, if it was the last thing he ever did, he would see him suffer for what he had done to his father. Rice forced himself to speak in a calm tone, "Do we know where she is now?". "No sir. She escaped. But we have agents looking into it. We will know seen enough". "Good. Update me as soon as you have new information. I want X-23 found, and back where she belongs" said Rice in a almost bitter-like tone. "Yes, sir" said Kirkman. And with that, he left the room. Rice once again stared down at the photo of Logan. Suddenly, with one hand, he scrunched up the sheet of paper into a ball. "Animals!" he shouted in anger, throwing it, as hard as he could across the room.

Nathan Falco pointed his nine millimetre hand gun at the teenage girl stalking towards him. "Get back, I'll shoot, I swear!" he shouted at her. The girl seemed to ignore him. Fear began to rise inside. He swallowed. He took a few seconds to look at his surroundings. He was in a built up factory area of the city. If he was smart, he could find plenty of places to hide - that's if he could out run her. He decided to take a chance. He sprinted from the scene, with the girl giving chase.

Laura chased the man from block to block. He was fast, faster than the average human being, but she wasn't worried, he would soon tire, and she'd catch up easily. He sprinted around yet another corner. Laura smiled to herself. She heard him swear to himself, he'd hit a dead end. Laura entered the alley. Nathan saw her, and began to back up. "Come any closer, and I'll shoot!" he warned. Laura continued to move towards him. Suddenly the sound of gunfire rang though the alley. Laura felt a white hot pain in the shoulder. She looked down to see blood beginning to soak her jacket. She looked back at Nathan and then continued to move towards him.

Bang! Another shot rang out. Laura winced as the bullet hit her. Just as the pain subsided a little, another hit. Nathan saw her expression change to anger. Suddenly he was even more terrified of this girl. "Stay back! Stay back!" he shouted, shaking his gun at her. Laura ignored him. She was close now. Too close. She reached out with her right hand, and grabbed him by the neck, pinning him to the brick wall. With her left hand, she ripped the gun from his hand and pocketed it. Then reached inside his bugling jacket pocket and removed a handful of jewellery. "These do not belong to you" she told him, pocketing them. She then popped her claws on left hand, and held them up so he could see them. "Oh my god!" gasped Nathan, "Please! Please don't kill me! _Please!_" he begged. Laura raised her metal claws, ready to bring them down on Nathan's chest, for the fatal blow.

Suddenly Logan's words entered her mind, "kid, it ain't _your_ job to punish 'em". Laura stopped dead. _What would Logan do?_ Laura thought to herself. He would not kill this man, she knew that now. Changing her mind, she swiftly jabbed her claws into his shoulder. Nathan cried out in pain. Laura retracted her claws and let him go. He dropped to the ground, holding his bleeding shoulder. "Oh my god! Oh my god!" cried the young man. He looked up at Laura, "You son of a--" he winced in pain, "I'm bleeding! I'm bleeding to death!" he cried though gritted teeth. Laura looked down at him, "No, you are not. I did not puncture any arteries. You will not bleed to death". He looked up at her, stunned. "The same can not be said for the Jewellery clerk you shot at Mason's jewellers" she told him. Nathan took that in. He would be up on murder charges as well as armed robbery. "The authorities will come for you soon" said Laura. And with that she walked away and exited the alley.

As Laura walked down the street, she could still hear Nathan's desperate calls. Apparently he didn't want to be left alone, he wanted her help. He wasn't going to get it. The people who came to his aid would be the offers from NYC PD. Logan would have been proud of her, Laura was sure of it. He would have been pleased with the choice she'd made. He didn't want her to kill. And she hadn't. She'd wanted too, it's what she knew, it felt natural. But she hadn't. It felt new to her, a strange kind of new. Perhaps, she thought, this was what being a "Hero" felt like. She liked it. It felt good.

_**I am currently working on first chapter of third arc to the series, please stay tuned. **_


	11. eX Friends: Fallen Solider: Ch1

**Series Title:** X-23: No Way Back  
**. Story & Chapter Title: **eX-Friends – Chapter One: Fallen Solider  
**. Author:** Alex Gregg (aka: ChickRockGuitar)  
**. Date Written:** September 2009 - (words written: 3378)  
**. Fiction Group:** X-Men Comics  
**. Story Rating:** T (some mild language)  
**. Summary Of Story****:** Part One of "eX-Friends". Josh Foley has the power to heal others. But when his powers fail him, what will he do when lives are on the line? Laura's past continues to plague her dreams.  
**. Auther's Notes:** This is the first chapter to the third story arc of a fanfictional serial of stories written by chickrockguitar. These stories are set in a slightly alternate Marvel universe - set with a new spin on the character of X-23.  
**. Disclaimer:** Marvel/X-Men characters, established concepts and previous storylines full credit goes to Marvel, Stan Lee, Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, and Co. Original storylines credit goes to me.  
**. More Info: **The Official Website: www (dot) x23 (dot) flyingmutt (dot) com

_**Please take a look at the website to understand the stories better.**_

**Chapter One: Fallen Solider  
****  
**

_Three Weeks Ago:_  
"Move it, guys, come on!" shouted Julian Keller, as the Sentinel stomped loudly behind them. The teen ran as fast as he could, his team-mates: Josh Foley, Cessily Kincaid, Santo Vaccaro, Nori Ashida, Victor Borkowski and Megan Gwynn followed in suit. "We have to stop this thing!" shouted Cessily, as she ran. "And we will, Cess" Julian replied, "But we've gotta get to higher ground. Then we'll strike" he told her. "I hope you know what you're doing, Keller" said Nori, irritably, as she caught up to him. "Hey, I'm on it, okay?" he snapped, "Just, trust me". Nori gave him a pissed off look, she _didn't_ trust him, and she didn't want to be a part of this. The kids continued to move as fast as they could though the semi-darkened city, the thirty foot robot just meters behind them.

From the glass overhanging control booth, Scott Summers and Emma Frost watched the scene below. "We should stop this. They're not ready" Scott told his partner. "If we stop them now, they'll _never_ be ready, darling" Emma argued, "They can do this". Scott sighed. He knew Emma had a point, but the student's safety was the number one priority. And, they didn't look ready. Emma turned to face him, "Give them a chance, Scott". Scott tore his gaze away from below and faced her, "Reading my mind again, Emma?" he asked. "No. I don't have to" she told him, slipping her arm round his back, "I just know you" she smiled. Emma Frost. The love of his life. There was a time, not so long ago, after Jean died, when he never thought he could love again. Then she'd came along. The pain began to fade, and slowly he was able to move past his grief. "Yeah, you do" he said, returning the smile, whitest running his left hand through her shoulder length blonde hair.

The kids continued to move as fast as they could though the dark streets. "Julian! It's gaining on us!" shouted Victor. "Yeah, dude. We gotta do something, like, _now_" agreed Santo. "They're right, Julian" added Josh. "Okay! Okay!" snapped Julian, half frustrated with his team-mates, and half frustrated with the situation as a whole. With one disaster after the next over the last few weeks, this was their first time in the Danger Room in over a month. And they were out of practise.  
_  
Couldn't Summers have given us something a little easier,_ Julian thought to himself. He came to a halt, as did his team-mates. "Okay, we have to bring this thing down" he told them. He paused for a moment, thinking of a strategy. Then he gave his team their orders. "Hey! So, what about me?" asked Josh. Julian stopped and turned to face Josh. He'd not given him anything to do. "Oh, er... Foley, sit this one out, okay?". "What?! Why?" argued Josh. "No offensive powers, dude" Julian told him, "What are you gonna do? Heal it to death?". Josh knew Julian had a point, but he wasn't happy about it. He glared at him. "Keller, it's coming!" shouted Nori warningly. Julian turned back to face her and the others, ready to strike at the Sentinel. Sure enough, seconds later it rounded the corner and towered over them. "Mutants. Identified. Must. Destroy." it stated, in it's robotic voice.

"Okay... Now!" shouted Julian. On his order, his team-mates began to attack their giant enemy. The group were getting the upper hand for a while - until the Sentinel began to fire it's powerful red energy blasts. Nori and Santo just about made it out of the way as a blast hit the ground where they had stood just moments before. As the blasts continued, the group tried to dodge them as best they could. Josh, watching from a nearby sheltered building, could see tables had severely turned on them. They were practising, facing just one Sentinel - and were losing badly. He wondered how the hell the X-Men had been able to face two and three at a time, for real, and win.

"Foley! Look out!" shouted Julian, but it was too late, the side of the building where Josh stood began to crumble. It had been hit with one of the Sentinel's blasts. Josh hadn't been out of it's line of sight after all. He saw the bricks come towards him, and just in time, he dived out of the way, hitting the ground with thud, a few bits of debris hit him as he fell. "Are you okay?" shouted Julian, from twenty feet above him. Josh looked up at his team leader. "Yeah, fine" he shouted back. Satisfied, Julian moved out to help his friends. However, Josh wasn't alright. His stomach and chest hurt like hell where he'd hit the ground. Suddenly he heard Julian scream Cessily's name.

Scott and Emma continued to watch the scene before them, "They're loosing" Scott muttered. "Yes, they could be handling the situation with a tad more dignity" stated Emma, spoken in her upper class British accent. Scott ignored her choice of words. He knew she expected much more from her students. Perhaps, given what they'd been though of late, a little too much. "That's it, I'm stopping this" he announced. To his surprise Emma said nothing. Scott fiddled with some buttons, and below him the city began to rapidly fade away, and the entire room returned to its normal metallic silver.

The group picked themselves up. "About damn time!" muttered Nori, as she got to her feet. Angrily, she turned to Julian, "Some situation you had _'under-control'_, Keller!" she spat. "Hey! I _did_ have it under-control!" he argued. "Oh yeah?" retorted Nori, "It could have killed Cess, Vic _and_ Megan!". "Well, it didn't! Everyone's here aren't they?!" Julian snapped. The rest of the group looked on as the pair continued to argue. "That's because Summers and Frost pulled the plug!" Nori shot back. Julian knew that was true, but he wasn't about to give into her, "Look! I--" he began, but he was interrupted by Cessily. "Guys, come on. We're all okay. Lets just leave it?". Nori and Julian glared at each other. "A wise idea" came a voice from the other side of the room. The group looked up to see Scott and Emma walking though the Danger Room's threshold, and heading towards them. Emma continued to speak as she walked, "Once again, one of your team-mates plays peacemaker between the two of you" said the headmistress, crossly. "Grow up!" she finished, harshly.

Silence filled the room for a few moments. Scott observed the group. All of the kids looked worn out, but unhurt. "Perhaps we'll get in some more practise before we let you take on something like that again, huh?" he said, with a kind smile. "And perhaps you'll pick a better leader next time" offered Nori. "Hey!" shot back Julian. He was about to argue once again when Emma interrupted him. "Enough!" she shouted, crossly, "If the two of you can not find it in yourselves to endure each other, at least while training, perhaps neither of you should be on this team!". "Fine by me!" shot back Nori, "It's not like I wanted to _be here_ in the first place!" she told her teacher. And with that she crossed the room and headed for the door. "Miss Ashida!" snapped the headmistress. Nori ignored her and exited the room. "Emma, let her go" advised Scott, "She's been though at lot" he gave pulled a sympathetic expression, "David..." he said quietly. Emma seemed too be to pissed off to care much for Nori's personal loss right now. "Haven't we _all_ endured great tragedy of late, Scott?" his partner shot back. And with that, she also crossed the floor and left the room.

Scott turned to the rest of the group, "Okay, class dismissed" he told them. Relieved, and without a word, they headed out of the Danger Room. Scott followed behind, closing and locking the doors, via digital lock, behind him. Just then, Josh's movements caught his eye. He caught up to the teen. "Josh, are you okay?". Josh stopped, and to turned to face him. "Yeah, fine. Just tried" he told the headmaster. He was lying. He stomach and chest still hurt like hell. He figured he had maybe cracked a few ribs. He knew he should have healed long before now. Normally, if he was injured, he healed almost instantly. Maybe because he was so worn out, his healing ability was keeping him standing, rather than concentrating on his ribs, he hoped. "I just need to sleep" he told Scott. He wondered if he sounded convincing enough. After a few moments Scott nodded, indicating that he believed him. "Okay. I'll let you get some rest then" said the headmaster. As Josh watched Scott walk away, he breathed a sigh of relief, then slowly made his way up to his room.

Josh woke in the very place he'd flopped down on his bed after training the previous day. He craned his neck to look at his bedside clock: 7:30am. He'd been asleep since 5pm the evening before. Shocked, he bolted up right, but as he did, he cried out in pain. He clutched his chest and stomach, the pain, if possible, since yesterday had gotten even worse. Gritting his teeth, he slowly stood up and somehow stumbled over to his mirror. Wincing, he managed to lift up his shirt, and saw that large purple-black bruises had now formed around his ribs. "Oh god..." he whispered to himself.

As he stared into the mirror, he noted that, yes, his chest hurt like hell, but the bruises looked particularly bad again his yellow-golden skin. His mind began to race: what the hell was he going to do. He understood instantly what was happening, his body wasn't healing itself. Had he lost his powers, like so many of his classmates and other Mutants on M-Day? No, he couldn't have, he reasoned, his skin was still it's normal yellow-golden colour. His Mutant gene was still active - or at least a part of it. Trying not to panic, he reminded himself that this had happened once before.

Last year, he'd healed Rahne Sinclair. Her wolf powers retuned instantly, but she'd lost control and attacked him, unintentionally putting him into a coma. For a few hours it was touch and go. Comatose, he was unable to heal the massive trauma that his body had sustained. He was dying. It had been deduced that in order for his healing powers to work on himself and others, he needed to be conscious. It was only when Nori had used her electrical powers to wake him, that his body began to heal. Josh clenched his fists, right now he _was_ conscious, so why wasn't he healing?

Josh moved slowly back to his bed, and sat on the edge of it. Not being able to heal, he suddenly felt extremely vulnerable. He wondered if he should tell someone. Mr Summers, Miss Frost? They'd want to know, he knew that. But something stopped him from wanting to tell them. Something stopped him wanting to tell anyone. The one person he knew he would have told in a heartbeat, was Laurie. His Laurie. But she was gone. She had been taken from him. So that wasn't an option.

Over the next seven days, Josh continued to keep his injuries and the loss of his healing powers to himself. Somehow, he'd been able to get out of Training sessions and anything that required him to do anything physical. How he managed it, he didn't really know. He'd swiped aspirin from the medical lab for the pain, and kept mostly to himself in his room. Fortunately, Dr McCoy had approached him regarding his wanting to further his knowledge of the human anatomy, physiology and biology. Something he had asked about a few weeks earlier, in order to develop his powers. That was unless now, but he'd gladly taken the ton of books his teacher had given him, and told his classmates that he was studying. And to his relief, nobody seemed ask any questions.

As the week dissolved into the next, Josh began to feel an improvement to his pain. His ribs were beginning to mend naturally. Which was good, as that morning, Emma had told him that she wanted to see him in the Danger Room tomorrow afternoon, no excuses. In that moment, Josh had considered telling the her about his powers. But again, something stopped him. Perhaps it was hope. Hope that he'd wake up the next morning, with his powers in tact. He wondered how she had not telepathically noticed that he was in pain. He'd hid it well, he thought. Either that, or for once, the good headmistress had not taken the time to study her student. He knew he would have to tell her and Scott soon, because there was no way he would be able to keep up the charade for much longer. As it turned out, he didn't have to. Fate would intervene in the worst of ways.

As Josh pulled on his shirt, dreading the coming afternoon session in the Danger Room, there was a loud desperate pounding on his door. He crossed the room and opened it. Victor stood on the other side, trying to catch his breath. The fourteen year old had just bolted cross campus, and up three flights of stairs to the dorms. "They need you in the Medical lab!" he told Josh, in a hurried tone. "What? Why?" asked Josh, suddenly a little worried. Had he been found out? Had Doctor McCoy sent for him, wanting to know what was up with his powers? "It's Sam and Hisako. They've been injured. They're Petty bad..." Victor told him. Josh froze. This was worse. Much worse. He knew why Victor had been sent for him. He was going to be asked to heal them. "Wh--How did they get hurt?" asked Josh, quietly. "I don't know. They were on a mission for Mr Summers, I think" replied Victor. "Come on, what are you waiting for?" he carried on. Josh didn't know what to do. There was no way he'd be able to help Sam and Hisako. He couldn't heal himself, let alone others.

Josh had no choice but to let Victor drag him down to the Medical lab. What he'd do or say when he arrived, he had no clue. Victor had just pulled him though the double doors when Dr Hank McCoy spotted them. "Ah. Mr Foley, excellent". Josh surveyed the scene before him. Sam and Hisako lay across the room, in hospital beds not far from each other. They were both unconscious. Scott was doing his best to bandage Sam, while Paige was trying to stop Hisako's bleeding. "Mr Foley, we need you over here" said Hank. Josh opened his mouth to protest, but no words seemed to come out, in the next moment, he found himself following his teacher over to Hisako's bed.

Hank glanced from Hisako to Josh, "If you please, Mr Foley". Josh knew what he was being asked to do. He looked down at Hisako. She was deathly pale, and bleeding heavily from her chest. He then looked over at Sam, he wasn't faring much better. "I... I can't" he choked out. Suddenly all eyes in the room were on him. "What do you mean you _can't?_" said a voice from behind him. Josh turned to see Emma hurriedly entering the lab. They locked eyes, "Well?" she asked, in a demanding tone.

Thirty minutes later, Josh was sitting alone in Scott's office. In the Medical lab he'd blurted out what had happened over the past week regarding his injuries and the loss of his powers. He didn't know if Scott, Emma and Hank had been more shocked or angry. Once it had been discovered that Josh was useless to them in helping Sam and Hisako, he'd been told to wait outside. A few moments later Emma had opened the labs double doors and told him to go and wait in Scott's office. Feeling extremely guilty and angry with himself, he'd not protested, he'd just done as he'd been told.

Images of Sam and Hisako flooded into his mind. Right now he would give anything to help them. If they died becausee he'd been foolish enough to keep secrets, he'd never forgive himself. He silently prayed that Dr McCoy would be able to help them the old fashioned way. He'd been sitting in the Office for almost an hour when Scott walked in, followed by Emma. Josh stood up, "How are they?" he asked. "Sit down, Mr Foley" said Emma, in a sharp, pissed off tone. Josh ignored her, he turned to Scott, "How are they?" he repeated, desperate to know. "Stable" Scott answered. "Fortunately, we were able to contact Warren, and he arrived quickly". Josh felt a little relieved upon hearing that news. Warren Worthington wasn't a healer like Josh himself, but his blood did have heeling-like powers. It was better than nothing. Scott moved around the room, and sat down at his desk. Emma came to stand next to him. "Sit down, please, Josh" he told the teen, "It seems, we need to talk".

_Two Weeks Later:_  
Bolting up right, with a gasp, panic-stricken and breathing hard, Laura Kinney - also known as X-23, scanned her surroundings. She was relieved to find herself in her room in Logan's small apartment. Breathing normally again, Laura lifted her hands to her face, she tucked a few stray wisps of her black hair behind her ears and rubbed her eyes. It was at that moment she realised how moist her skin was. Wiping the sweat from her face, her mind travelled back to what had woken her. She was back at the Facility. His face came into her mind. How she hated him. After everything he'd done to her. Thirteen years of torture at his hand. The only comfort she found when thinking about her past, was that, he, Dr Zander Rice, Surgical Head of the Facility, was dead. She'd beaten him to a bloody pulp and left him to die on the night of her escape, four years ago. The Facility building had exploded, at her hand, as she walked out of its doors. No human could have survived that.

But it was in the moments that came after, that Rice had gotten his revenge. His final act of torture that would stay with her forever. He'd placed 'trigger scent' - a substance he'd designed to control her, upon the person who'd helped her escape, the person who was waiting to take her away from missions and murders, the person who was going to give her a new life, Genetics Head and her surrogate mother, Dr Sarah Kinney. Picking up the trigger's scent, Laura had popped her clews, lunged for the unsuspecting Woman, and attacked. Then within seconds, was coved in her blood.

Laura shook her head, trying to shake the memory out of her mind, attempting once again to bury it deep, back into her sub-conscious. But she couldn't discard the picture of the dying woman's face, and her last words, "Your Name is Laura… Not X-23… My Laura. I love You…". Swallowing hard, she turned to face the window. It was still dark outside. She glanced at her nightstand, the small black alarm clock that sat on it read: 1:37am. Laura knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep now, thoughts of her mother still played on her mind. She decided that she needed some air, so silently she got out of bed, threw on her pants, shoes and jacket and headed out of the room. As she closed her bedroom door, she caught the scent of fresh air. She turned to face the Living room's double glass doors, which lead out on to the apartment's small balcony. The left glass door was agar. Laura knew this meant Logan was awake too. Sniffing the air, sure enough, she caught the man's scent. With a slight smile, she headed across the living room, and towards the doors.

_**I am currently working on the second Chapter to this arc, please stay tuned. **_


	12. eXFriends: Answers We Seek: Ch2

**. Series Title:** X-23: No Way Back  
**. Story & Chapter Title: **eX-Friends – Chapter Two: Answers We Seek  
**. Author:** Alex Gregg (aka: ChickRockGuitar)  
**. Date Written:** October 2009 - (words written: 2984)  
**. Fiction Group:** X-Men Comics  
**. Story Rating:** T (some mild language)  
**. Summary Of Story****:** Part Two of "eX-Friends". Laura asks Logan questions regarding the horrors of her past, but the answers he gives her, may not be what she wanted to hear. And Josh Makes a Decision.**  
. Auther's Notes:** This is the second chapter to the third story arc of a fanfictional serial of stories written by chickrockguitar. These stories are set in a slightly alternate Marvel universe - set with a new spin on the character of X-23.  
**. Disclaimer:** Marvel/X-Men characters, established concepts and previous storylines full credit goes to Marvel, Stan Lee, Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, and Co. Original storylines credit goes to me.  
**. More Info: **The Official Website: www (dot) x23 (dot) flyingmutt (dot) com

_**Please take a look at the website to understand the stories better.**_

**Chapter Two: Answers We Seek  
**  
Logan slouched on the Balcony pitch swing. He drank deeply from his bottle of beer. The best thing about beer, he thought, was, if you drank enough of the stuff, for a few short hours, it made all the pain go away. The past wasn't a pleasant place for Logan, but the taste of beer helped with the constant ache of the horrors he'd suffered. He didn't like to think of the past. What he'd gone through, and as a result, some of the things he'd done because of it, still rocked him to the core. But sometimes it couldn't be helped. Sometimes, no matter how much he'd try to block out those memories, the horrors would still take over his mind. That's when a spare beer came in handy.

Laura stood in the glass door's threshold, watching her brother. "So, yer gonna come and sit down, or stand there all night?" Logan asked her, not taking his eyes off the view of the city. Laura took that as a welcome invitation and sat down next to him. "I did not know if you wanted to be alone" she replied. Once again, still staring out into the night, Logan said, "Kid, I could be surrounded by a thousand people, and I'd still be alone". Laura looked at him curiously, trying to understand what he meant. _How could one be alone when surrounded by that many people?_ she wondered. Logan glanced at her, he noticed her expression, and shock his head slightly, "Nevermind" he muttered.

He he took another slip from his beer, then changed the subject, "So, what're yer doin' out here? Bed not comfy?". Laura didn't answer right away, but after a few moments she said, "I could not sleep. I saw you sitting out here". Logan nodded, showing he understood. And he did, he knew what 'could not sleep' translated to. He used that phrase himself over the years. She'd be though near enough the same horrors as he had, thanks to the charming people running the Weapon X project. Except, he knew, she'd had it a whole lot worse. He often wondered how she coped with it all, now that she was free. Yes, they'd both been part of the Weapon X project. He'd been the original Weapon X, years ago - she'd been created out of stolen samples of his DNA years after he'd escaped. He knew their experiences of the project weren't quite the same. He'd be kidnapped and unwillingly forced into becoming their guinea pig, whereas she'd been created from in their labs and used as their tool from birth. It sickened him to think what they'd put her though.

There was a part of him that could not shake the feeling of responsibility and guilt. He knew that there was no way he could have known what a handful of future scientists would do with his stolen DNA, and until he'd met her, he didn't even know those samples existed, but that still didn't change anything. All he could do now was help her deal with it and introduce her to a life of freedom.

The two of them sat in silence for a while, looking out at the city lights. Laura glanced a few times at her brother and shifted a little, but said nothing. Logan noticed this. "What do yer wanna ask me, kid?" he said. The tone he used was more of a statement, than a question. Laura turned sharply towards him. How did he know? Their eyes met for a few seconds before she turned back to look out at the city. "How do you do it? How do you forget?" she asked, quietly. Logan knew immediately what she was referring too. The Nightmares. The violent horrors they'd both seen and done.

After a moment, he sighed, "I don't forget, kid. Yer can't… No matter how hard yer try, yer can never forget what they did to yer". She turned back to face him. The look in her eyes told him that this was not what she wanted to hear. He carried on, "Yer can't forget, Laura, 'cause it's a part of who yer are. Yer just have to… try to move on. Everythin' yer see at night, after a while, it starts to fade a little..." he paused for a few moments before continuing, "Yer just have to remember how far yer've come - and realise how far yer still have to go". Laura swallowed. Logan could see his words had upset her, but he wasn't about to sugar-coat it. She needed to know the truth, and he'd given it. For a few moments, she looked at him sadly, then turned away.  
_  
Two Weeks Ago:_  
"What do you want me to say?!" shouted Josh, bolting up from his seat, almost knocking the chair to the ground. For the last twenty five minutes, he'd gone over and over what had happened on the day that he had lost his powers. He relayed to Scott and Emma how he'd been injured whist in a Danger Room session, and had neglected to tell anyone that his healing powers had not been working for the last week. It was only when he'd been asked to heal a badly injured Sam Guthrie and _Hisako_ Ichiki, two young X-Men, that he'd been forced to reveal that he was now powerless.

"I don't _know_ how it happened!" said Josh. Emma and Scott glanced at each other then turned back to their student. "I told you!" Josh continued, in a frustrated tone, "We were in the danger room last week. And--" but Emma cut him off, "Yes, yes, you have explained this already. But what we need to know is--" this time it was Scott's turn to interrupt. "Emma, please" he said in a quiet tone, warning is partner to not be as harsh with the boy. He turned to the teen, "Josh, please sit down" he said gently. Josh did as he was asked. "You've hidden the loss of your powers from us, that's serious. And wrong. But understand, we are not angry with you. Emma, myself, and the school are here to _protect_ you". Scott let his words sink in for a few moments, before continuing, "However, we are concerned. Why is it, you felt that you needed to hide this?". Josh hung his head and stared at his trainers. He didn't answer. Scott prodded him, "Josh?". The teen sighed. He looked up from his shoes and glanced from Emma to Scott. "I... I don't know" he told them, truthfully, "I just... did".

Scott lent back in his chair. He tried to read the boy. He couldn't make out if he was being a hundred percent truthful or not. He'd ask Emma later. He knew she was using her telepathy to read him. After a few moments of thought, he came to a decision. "Okay," he told the teen, "Here's what we'll do: When Hank has Sam and Hisako fully stabilised, we'll have a chat with him. Maybe he can runs some tests and determine what's going on". He gave Josh a smile, "We'll figure this out, Josh".

"No" said Josh, shaking his head. He stood up again, this time more calmly. Shocked, both Scott and Emma did a double-take. "Whatever do you mean by '_no_'?" asked Emma. "I'm not taking to Dr McCoy, I'm not taking any tests" Josh told them. The room went quiet. Emma studied her student for a few moments. Both Scott and Josh knew what she was doing. She was using her powers to read him. "There's no need to be scared, Joshua" Emma told him. "I'm not!" snapped Josh, louder then he'd meant to. He didn't know why he'd said that, he knew his teacher knew that it was a lie. The truth was, he _was_ scared. Scared what the loss of his powers meant for not only himself, but for those he'd no longer be able to help. Like Sam and Hisako. Once again, the room went quiet.

After a few moments, it was Scott who spoke next, "Josh, Hank may be able help you. Will you at least think abou--". "I told you, no!" interrupted Josh, almost shouting, "You can't force me!" he continued, now getting defensive. "No, we can't" Scott confirmed, shooting a warning glance to Emma as he spoke. Scott was well aware that they could force him, well Emma could. Mind control, was one of her powers. Scott didn't approve of her using it, and because of how he felt, Emma rarely did nowadays. Josh glanced at Emma, he was also aware of her powers. "It's you're choice" carried on Scott, "Just know, the option is there" he finished, kindly. Josh nodded. "So, can I go?" he asked the Headmaster. Scott nodded slightly. And without another word Josh left the room.

Emma rounded on her partner, "You can not be serious!" she snapped. Scott sighed. "We need to know what's happening, Scott. Now!" she continued, stunned by his calmness of the situation. "Emma, he's scared" Scott told her. "Well, I know that! That emotion is coming off him in waves. What I can't work out, is what the boy has against determining what is wrong. If it were me--". "But it's _not_ you, Emma" said Scott, a little frustrated at the headmistress ability to not understand Josh's reasoning. "Like I said, he's _sacred_. He'd a kid. And probably, in his mind, _not_ knowing, is better than knowing, right now". Emma sighed, "He's in denial. He thinks his powers will come back of their own accord" she stated. Scott nodded, he lent on the edge of his desk, "There's that too".

"And you don't believe they will?" Emma asked him. She moved around to the other side of the desk and sat in the chair facing Scott. Scott sighed and shock his head slightly, "I don't know, that's Hank's department. This isn't like Bobby, Emma. He lost his powers, like thousands of others on M-Day, and yes, they came back, but, Josh's mutation isn't completely gone. His Skin--" "remains the same" finished Emma. "So, his mutant gene, in some form, is still there. I'll talk to Hank" continued Scott, "You're right, we do need to know what's happening". "And so, we come back to: what do we do with the boy" Emma paused for a moment, "I know you don't like it, Scott, but, if he will not cooperate--". Scott cut her off, he knew what she was getting at, "No, Emma. No way". The headmistress was now starting to to get frustrated at her partner, and he knew it. "Scott, This doesn't just affect Joshua himself. If he _has_ lost his powers, it effects all of us!". "Yes" agreed Scott, "It does effect all of us. And its for exactly that reason why I don't want to push him on this".

Josh sat on his bed, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. His thoughts travelled back to Sam and Hisako in the Medical lab, he wondered if they were okay. His thoughts then turned back to the convocation he'd had with Scott and Emma. He wondered how long it would be before Hank was knocking at his door, wanting to talk to him, and run his tests. Scott had said that he wouldn't be forced into anything, but Josh wasn't convinced. His powers were an asset to the X-Men, he knew that. And he knew, all good intentions aside, they wouldn't just drop this. He'd seen it on Emma's face. They intended to find out what was going on, one way or another. And that scared him.

Although, he had to admit, he was angry at himself. A part of him knew he should be down in the Medical Lab talking to Hank. He should being trying to help find out just what was wrong with his powers. But the other part of him didn't want to find out. He didn't want to know a hundred percent for sure if he would regain his powers or not. Because knowing for sure, was something he wasn't ready to deal with. Without his powers he felt vulnerable and helpless. If he had lost his powers for good, well, he had no idea how he would deal with that. Suddenly an overwhelming sense of fear washed over him. He swallowed, trying to push it aside. That's when he made the decision. He stood up, and grabbed his backpack from under his bed. Sooner or later, he'd have to meet with Hank, and right now he just couldn't face it. At a quick pace, he moved around his room, grabbing clothes from his closet, as well as a few small personal objects, such as his cell phone. Once he'd thrown a pile of things into his bed, he began to quickly shove them into his backpack.

Then, suddenly, there was a knock at the door, Josh froze. The last thing that he wanted was to be caught fleeing from the school. He knew he'd have to answer it, he just hoped it wasn't a teacher. He moved across the room, and opened the door just enough for him to stick his head out. If he'd have opened it any further, the person on the other side would have a full view of his half packed bag on his bed. It was Cessily. "Hey" she said kindly, her metallic skin shining as it always did. "Hey," replied Josh, "What's up?". Cessily just looked at him for a long moment. "Is it true? Everybody's talking..." she asked. Josh sighed then nodded. The loss of his powers had seemed to spread through the school like wildfire. "God... Josh... I.. I don't know what to say..." she lightly shook her head as she spoke, her bright ginger ponytail bobbing slightly, "You look... you're skin.. its--" she was stumbling over her words, Josh cut her off, "It's okay. It's not permanent. I mean, it can't be. Like you said," he gave her a smile, "My skin - it hasn't changed. Dr McCoy will figure it out". In that moment, Josh wasn't sure who he was trying to convince more, Cessily or himself.

There was a short silence between them, then Cessily spoke. "Are you okay?". Josh paused for a brief moment, then said, "Yeah. I'm good". That was a lie, he _wasn't_ okay, but he hoped he sounded convincing enough. "Look, Cess, I'm kind of busy right now. Studying. Was that it?". Cessily didn't answer, her expression seemed to be filled with sadness for him. Josh noticed. "Cess, I _am_ okay. Okay? Dr McCoy will fix this". Finally she seemed to accept his words. "Okay. If you're sure" she replied, "But, if you want to talk, or anything...". Josh nodded and gave her a smile.

She turned to go, but turned back at the last moment, "Oh. I almost forgot. I know you've got stuff going on, but, I was wondering if you could talk to Nori?". Josh sighed. "Josh, she's not dealing with David's death. _At all_. If anything, she's getting worse". "She's grieving, Cess. Just let her" said Josh, "Besides, I don't see what I can say that'll make a difference". "Come on, you've been there. You know what it's like to... to loose someone like that" pushed Cessily. "Oh yeah, because I handled Laurie's death _so_ well" replied Josh, sarcastically, "What do you want us to do, compare notes?!" he snapped. He was angry at her for bring up the subject of Laurie's death. It was still all too raw and painful for him to talk about. Registering his tone, Cessily realized this, "No, of course not" she told him quietly. She sounded a hurt by his words, but right then, Josh was too angry to care. "I'm sorry..." she told him softly, "I didn't mean to... I just-- I think you could help her. I really do...".

Josh calmed down a little, he sighed, "Okay, okay. I'll talk to her". A smile spread across Cessily's face. "Really? You will?" she asked. Josh nodded, then asked, "Now can I go study?". She paused for a moment, "Sure. But, if you want to talk about... things..." she trailed off, not wanting to upset him again. Josh nodded, showing her he understood what she meant, "Thanks..." he said quietly. Cessily gave him another smile, then walked away, headed down the hall and out of sight.

Josh closed his door and lent up against it. He sighed. He eyed his half packed bag. After a moment he went over to his bed and continued to pack. As he did so, his thoughts travelled back to Cessily. He hated himself for lying to his friend. He'd told her he would talk to Nori, whereas really, he had no intention of doing so. He felt extremely guilty. He knew what Nori must be going though, he'd been there himself only a few months ago. But if he was going to leave the school, he had to do it quickly, before he was caught. Besides, he told himself, there were plenty of people here who could talk to her. And, if he was truly honest with himself, even if he hadn't been about to leave the school, he wasn't a hundred percent sure he could go though with it. Death, of any kind right now, was too painful for him to talk about. He was just about dealing himself, could he really help someone else? Once he finished packing, he took one last look around him room. Then he slung his backpack over his shoulder and opened his door. Making sure there was as nobody in the hall, he set off. Hoping that he could make it to the main doors and out of the school without being seen.

_**I am currently working on the third Chapter to this arc, please stay tuned. **_


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